A History of Ideas: The Most Intriguing, Relevant and Helpful Concepts From the Story of Humanity

A collection of humanity’s most inspiring ideas throughout time, bringing perspective to the challenges and wonders of being alive. This is an unusual sort of history—a history of ideas, and not just any old ideas—ideas from across time and space that are best suited to healing, enchanting, and reviving us. Along the way, we travel around the world, from the very beginnings of our species right up to the modern age. We hear about the Ancient Greeks and Romans, learn about Buddhism and Islam, acquire ideas from Hinduism, the European Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and Modernity. Deliberately eclectic, the book provides a panoramic, 3,000-year view over the finest insights of diverse civilizations. Every idea is associated with an image— it could be a place, a document, a building, or a work of art—that has something very specific to teach us. These ideas can help answer big questions about the direction of our lives, relationships, and the meaning of existence. The book is a feast for the intellect and the imagination, helping us become historians who use the past to illuminate our own lives.