Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
History teaches philosophy by example.
In plain terms
History is philosophy taught through examples.
What can you take from it?
Learn moral lessons from historical events.

Where it applies

  • teaching
  • moral reasoning

Putting it to work

  • using case studies
  • drawing ethical conclusions

Questions to consider

  • How can we extract philosophical lessons from history?
  • What limits this approach?

Another view

Not all historical events are clear moral examples.

More from Henry, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke St John

  1. Truth lies within a little and certain compass, but error is immense.

    Permalink to quote #1
  2. Nations, like men, have their infancy.

    Permalink to quote #3
  3. They (Thucydides and Xenophon) maintained the dignity of history.

    Permalink to quote #4

Related quotes

  1. [...] nicht das Amt die Vergangenheit zu richten, die Mitwelt zum Nutzen zukunftiger Jahre zu belehren, sondern blo? zu zeigen, wie es eigentlich gewesen ist.

    Leopold von RankeLeopold von Ranke quote #2
  2. It would be well if, in studying the past, we could always bear in mind the problems of the present, and go to that past to seek large views of what is of last…

    Arnold ToynbeeArnold Toynbee quote #4
  3. Im allgemeinen freilich haben die Weisen aller Zeiten immer dasselbe gesagt, und die Toren, d.h. die unermessliche Majoritat aller Zeiten, haben immer dasselbe…

    Arthur SchopenhauerArthur Schopenhauer quote #30