Restoring Interest in History

History is studied to understand past successes and failures in the hope of guiding present activities. Wise individuals and cultures have made it a central part of their education. Unfortunately, modern American education has given it less attention than it deserves. This essay will discuss the value of correcting that situation by offering insights from Arnold Toynbee (1889-1975), one of Great Britain’s leading historians, and author of many historical analyses, notably A Study of History.

The book I will draw from is titled Surviving the Future. The passages are far-ranging, each offering a view helpful to our present age. As you read them, keep in mind that his views are drawn from intense examination of innumerable cultures from the most ancient to modern.

Toynbee says that “a genuine pattern” is often similar in several cultures, and it is “certainly possible to learn from [such] past experience,” for example from the “records of the consequences, satisfactory or unsatisfactory, of past actions, past attitudes of mind, past ideals or lack of ideals.” Such a statement will seem odd to those who believe that our culture is unique and we therefore have nothing to learn from past cultures. The statement in fact reminds us that human nature, and therefore its challenges, are much the same in the past and in the present.

“A human being’s life is a constant struggle between the rational and irrational side(s) of human nature . . . [and] the whole of human life is a struggle to keep reason uppermost.” Younger generations tend to reject this assertion because they have been taught that the “irrational side” (that is emotions or feelings) is a better guide than the rational side. But Toynbee’s view reflects the experience of the wisest humans throughout history and cannot be so cavalierly ignored.

“All the great historic philosophies and religions have been concerned, first and foremost, with the overcoming of egocentricity.”This statement, like the previous one, is based on the age-old understanding that the elevation of self, or as it is known today, self-esteem, tends to thwart learning and personal growth rather than enhancing them. (The age-old understanding, in fact, was still dominant a half century ago. Most of today’s grandparents were taught it at home and in school and profited from it.)

“Unless we can control ourselves, we cannot control our relationships with others.” Both the idea of controlling ourselves and that of controlling our relationships with others were common until quite recently. Centuries of evidence have proved that humans are imperfect and therefore prone to mistakes and bad choices, and that these lead to unhappiness among themselves and those around them. Unfortunately, these ideas were displaced by the notion that we are all wonderful from birth, and thinking and acting as we please are a birthright with only positive consequences. Many still embrace that way of thinking and are left wondering why disharmony and disappointment are so prevalent.

“In the original sense, philosophy is hardly distinguishable from religion . . . [both] are concerned with action . . . knowledge and understanding . . . and morality.” Furthermore, “we need to humanize, or should I say re-humanize, our education [with] . . . a new philosophical and religious outlook.” Toynbee understood, as have wise individuals over the centuries, that though philosophy and religion are often regarded as incompatible, they have much in common. His observation is significant because he was neither a religious believer nor an unbeliever, but instead an unbiased scholar.

“Besides having the function of developing each individual’s gifts, education is also the means of passing on our cultural heritage from one generation to the next. . . In educating members of the rising generation, or rather in helping them to educate themselves, we ought to be trying to help them to equip themselves both morally and intellectually for forming their own judgement on the cultural heritage that is being passed on to them.” This view is noteworthy because it counters the foolish ideas about education that were gaining force in the later part of Toynbee’s life (when he wrote this book) and continued in the decades since. His study of past cultures taught him that teachers have an obligation to guide learners to develop their minds, not to brainwash them, and to pass on past and present wisdom to generations that follow them.

“The underlying purpose of curiosity. . . is the acquisition of knowledge and understanding for the sake of action . . . [and] for gaining closer contact with the spiritual presence behind the universe.” Toynbee understood the importance of curiosity in gaining knowledge and applying it to the challenges of life. Without it we are without interest in seeking truth and wisdom. In our culture that fact has largely been forgotten.

“Love is the only spiritual power that can overcome the self-centeredness that is inherent in being alive.” Here again, he considers the dangers of egocentricity and lack of self-control. The love he speaks of helps us by shifting our focus and attention away from ourselves and toward other people.

Even these few quotations of a single great scholar of history are enough to reveal the value of restoring the place of history in education. The more we understand the experiences of our human predecessors and the wisdom they gained, the better our chances of surviving the challenges we face.

Copyright © 2025 by Vincent Ryan Ruggiero. All rights reserved.