The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

Words of Wisdom about History

Rufus Fears was Professor of Classics at the University of Oklahoma, where he held the G. T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty. Jesse Rufus Fears was an American historian, scholar, educator, and author writing on the subjects of Ancient history, The History of Liberty, and classical studies. He is best known for his many lectures for the Teaching Company. He was born on March 7, 1945, and died on October 6, 2012. He left us some Words of Wisdom on the lesson of history that all Americans should ponder. They are:

10 Fundamental Lessons of History:

1. We do not learn from history.
2. Science and technology do not make us immune to the laws of history.
3. Freedom is not a universal value.
4. Power is the universal value.
5. The Middle East is the crucible of conflict and the graveyard of empires.
6. The United States shares the destinies of the great democracies, the republics, and the superpowers of the past.
7. Along with the lust for power, religion and spirituality are the most profound motivators in human history.
8. Great nations rise and fall because of human decisions made by individual leaders.
9. The statesman is distinguished from a mere politician by four qualities: a bedrock of principles, a moral compass, a vision, and the ability to create a consensus to achieve that vision.
10. Throughout its history, the United States has charted a unique role in history.

― J. Rufus Fears, The Wisdom of History – from The Great Courses

He also had two additional quotes that are apropos:

“We are no wiser than the Athenians of the 5th century B.C., no wiser than Sophocles for our science of today has shown us the overwhelming power of genes, of DNA.”

“I fear that we live in a historical age in which we believe that we are so wise that we no longer need the lessons of the past, perhaps most disturbingly of all that technology has put us beyond the lessons of the past.”

Despite our advancements in Morality, Ethics, Law, Science, and Technology, we are still governed by our Human Nature, formed by our genetic structure and guiding our thoughts and actions. We should also remember that:

“To deny human nature, or to not acknowledge human nature, is foolish. To not do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure.”
   - Mark Dawson

We should also remember that:

"Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it."
  - Edmund Burke

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
  - George Santayana