The Value of History

The work that is about to be surveyed by the reader represents decades of painstaking work to provide him or her with the most positive and freshest perspective with respect to what the discipline of history teaches him or her to improve the quality of not only his or her daily life but also those of all other whom he or she comes into contact with. This task is accomplished when he or she becomes aware of the fact that the greatest possible good can only be achieved through the promotion of the adequate satisfaction of the greatest number of needs of the maximum number of people within the context of its being mutually beneficial to all parties involved.

Furthermore, the reader of this volume gains the widest perspective on how the above assertion is valid for and has a positive impact on all fields of human endeavor, individual human lives, and human institutions, since the content of historical subject matter consists of nothing less than the past and present record of all the events and developments of the above entities. Thus, since everything that people learn is through past and present experiences, history teaches them everything and nothing can be perceived outside the framework of its subject matter.

To present a graphic example to the reader of this volume to clearly illustrate the truth and validity of the above points, the author has used the comparison and contrast of the values, beliefs, and cultures of two very different societies in variant times and places to do so. The retrograde valuing of power and wealth placed on them by a small elite in European medieval society, resulting in limited social mobility in a primarily agrarian society, is in marked contrast to the emphasis on limited individual freedom within the framework of the rule of law as espoused by modern America. Within the latter framework, it was possible to develop a modern industrial and postindustrial community to provide individual social advancement through educational and employment opportunities as well as through the availability of quality health care. Finally, through all that has been stated above, it is worthwhile for society at large as well as the academic community to peruse through the contents of this volume in order to accomplish the above objectives.