The Lessons of History

So the first biological lesson of history is that life is competition. Competition is not only the life of trade, it is the trade of life—peaceful when food abounds, violent when the mouths outrun the food.

I’m always fascinated by the era of the robber barons. It felt like the last time we truly accepted just how close to our uncivilized natures we truly are. In any case, the modern desire and expectation for comfort at all times is just that — relatively modern. And I do not believe this is what life is all about. So much of society is focused on finding happiness as if that is anything more than some trifling emotion.

I’ve always believed that happiness is incredibly overrated. Life is, and always will be, a great struggle. Humans long for it and were forged by it. If we cannot find it in life, we often create one for ourselves.

And even if you do find some temporary happiness, hedonic adaptation will mean you won’t keep it for very long. I will do a separate piece on hedonic adaptation, but I believe it has been unjustly vilified. This is evolution’s way of telling you that happiness is not the meaning of life.

The second biological lesson of history is that life is selection. In the competition for food or mates or power some organisms succeed and some fail. In the struggle for existence some individuals are better equipped than others to meet the tests of survival.

The power law is there in all things. The liberal pretense of equality of capabilities (as opposed to the equality of the value of life for a living human) is something I have never understood.

Inequality is not only natural and inborn, it grows with the complexity of civilization.

I could not agree more. With technology, we increase our own leverage. What used to take 10 people can be done by a single person. What used to require a 40% difference in ability can now be achieved by tools combined with a small 4% edge. As society grows and provides the capable with more leverage, the advantages will accrue in ever greater quantities to those who know how to use (and are willing to use) that leverage.

Nature smiles at the union of freedom and equality in our utopias. For freedom and equality are sworn and everlasting enemies, and when one prevails the other dies.

The political discourse has shifted away from pareto optimality (some are made better without anyone being made worse) to strictly a focus on inequality. In some ways, we cannot escape this, as science shows all mammals instinctively understand some degree of fairness. We are hard wired for it. But I worry this will ultimately cap how much technology we as a civilization are willing to empower ourselves with.

only the man who is below the average in economic ability desires equality; those who are conscious of superior ability desire freedom; and in the end superior ability has its way.

Completely agreed.

It is not the race that makes the civilization, it is the civilization that makes the people: circumstances geographical, economic, and political create a culture, and the culture creates a human type.

This is quite a subtle point. Thomas Sowell goes into this in much greater detail and explanation. Those who are curious as to why equality can never occur should read Sowell.

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This was an interesting anthology of quick lessons and philosophies that the authors discovered over their historied career. Overall though, I felt slightly disappointed having heard so much about them. Perhaps I’ll give their more well-known 11 volume seminal work a try, but as it stands I would not recommend this book, even though I agree with many of the statements.