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The Wisdom of History

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The Wisdom of History

By: J. Rufus Fears, The Great Courses
Narrated by: J. Rufus Fears
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About this listen

Do the lessons passed down to us by history, lessons whose origins may lie hundreds, even thousands of years in the past, still have value for us today? Is Santayana's oft-repeated saying, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it", merely a way to offer lip service to history as a teacher - or can we indeed learn from it? And if we can, what is it that we should be learning?

In this unflinching series of 36 lectures, a world-renowned scholar makes the case that we not only can learn from history, but must.

Drawing on decades of experience as a classical historian, Professor Fears explores history's patterns to conclude that ignoring them - whether by choice or because we've never learned to see them - is to risk becoming their prisoner, repeating the mistakes that have toppled leaders, nations, and empires throughout time.

In this personal reflection on history, Professor Fears has taken on the challenge of extracting the past's lessons in ways that speak to us today, showing us how the experience of ancient empires such as those of Rome and Persia have much to teach us about the risks and responsibilities of being a superpower.

He shows how the study of those who left their impact on an earlier world - Caesar Augustus or Genghis Khan, George Washington or Adolf Hitler, Mahatma Gandhi or Josef Stalin - can equip us to make responsible choices as nations, citizens, or individuals in a post-9/11 world where those choices are more crucial than ever.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2007 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2007 The Great Courses
World Thought-Provoking
All stars
Most relevant  
very thought provoking and challenging. the presentation and the presenter were so good I didn't want to stop listening. for anyone interested in learning from history or to increase in wisdom... thoroughly recommended.

brilliant

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As a south Asian, I found the portrayal of Churchill as a 'moral statesman who believed in liberty' to be utterly laughable. Churchill was famously a staunch supporter of the empire and did not care at all about the liberties of the colonies.

the united states has never faced an invasion - it WAS the invasion.

the ideas presented here are dated, colonial and reek of white privilege.

White European lessons of history

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Prepare to have history analysed from an American perspective and to have it assumed that you are also living in America. This was the strongest impression I got from this book, which was otherwise quite easily forgettable. The lecturer's voice is pleasant to listen to, and he tells a good overview of history as an engaging story. However I don't think that I have taken away much wisdom from this lecture.

The wisdom of history (assuming you're American)

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.