abstract:
"Do you have a deeper understanding of human nature than a street passer-by who seldom reads? Have you got any enlightenment from history about our present situation, what is conducive to our judgment and policy guidance, and what are the means to prevent accidents or emergencies? Have you found a rule from the long river of history that can be used to predict the future actions of mankind or the fate of the country? Is it possible that, in the final analysis, "history is meaningless" [note], it has taught us nothing, and its endless past is just a mistake again and again, destined to happen on a larger scale on a bigger stage in the future? " -the first chapter of the original: hesitation
"Inequality is not only natural and innate, but also increases with the complexity of civilization. Genetic inequality leads to social and artificial inequality; All inventions or discoveries are made by outstanding individuals. As a result, the strong will always be strong and the weak will always be weak, even stronger than before. Economic development makes social functions more specialized, makes abilities different, and makes individuals have different values for groups. If we can thoroughly understand the people around us, then we only need to choose 30% people and unite them, which is enough to equal the sum of the abilities of the rest. This is what life and history do, with arrogant injustice, reminiscent of Calvin's God. " -Chapter III of the original book: Biology and History
"The fear of capitalism forces socialism to expand its freedom; Fear of socialism forces capitalism to increase equality. East is west, and west is east. The twins will be reunited soon. " -Chapter 9 of the original book: Socialism and History
Comments:
Fifty years later, the Durants compiled a history of world civilization in volume 1 1. The book Lessons from History is like a literature review. In the vast history, it seems that every viewpoint can be supported by many historical materials. You can say that heroes, regardless of their origins, Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang can talk to you about Kan Kan; You can also say that heroes have been prominent since ancient times, and Churchill and Buffett can also say that I never rely on my family. Reading history books is like opening God's eyes. The emperor is always in a dilemma. Heroes also bent over for five buckets of rice. You think you can learn from history and make ends meet; In fact, in your life, you haven't even met a district party secretary. In history, every shining figure, even regardless of the final success or failure, has opened up a world with outstanding strength. After reading the history for so many years, I deeply reflect on myself. The last thing I should do is to feel at home and country at an early age. Why did China rise and learn? Because this is not China of 1929 (the allusion is at the end). Returning to this article, the author has really summed up some profound thoughts by virtue of his half-century accumulation. Of course, this is not entirely correct, but he must have guessed most of the historical development trends. Although the writing of 1968 seems far away, it still shines with wisdom and will continue to guide.