1049 pages, Simon & Schuster, ISBN-13: 978-0671548001
The Story of Civilization is an 11-volume set of books by the American writer, historian and philosopher Will Durant that focuses on a philosophical understanding of Western history that was intended for the general reader. Written over a period of more than fifty years, Volume 1: Our Oriental Heritage was originally published in 1935, and covers Near Eastern history until the fall of the Achaemenid Empire in the 330s BC, as well as the history of India, China and Japan up to the 1930s. Funny story: I actually read Volume 11: The Age of Napoleon first, as I was still on my junior high Napoleonic kick and read everything I could on the Corsican Ogre I could lay my hands on. It wasn’t until many years later that I began this series at the beginning when I purchased the complete 11-volume set from Edward R. Hamilton, a mail order (now online) bookstore; this particular edition is a reprint of an edition published by Simon & Schuster in the late 80s. Anyway…
Forewarned is forearmed, so be advised that, seeing as this history was originally published in 1935, the writing can only be described as outdated; indeed, if archaic and cringeworthy terms and phrases that were just fine in ’35 but would get you burned at the stake today are enough to make you blow an artery, then stay away from Our Oriental Heritage (the title alone should be enough to dissuade you; I mean, the “our” in Our Oriental Heritage refers to the West, which is bad bad BAD!). But this book and series are also histories in and of themselves, as by reading this book you learn not only about the ostensible topic it is about, but about the era in which it was written, for better or for worse. Modern research may indeed disagree with some – if not most – of the content Durant assembled in this volume; indeed, modern research as a rule always disagrees with the viewpoints of previous generations, but this is irrelevant, for this is a grand view of humanity and all that was, then, known about it.
In order to facilitate this history, Our Oriental Heritage has been divided into five broad sections: “The Establishment of Civilization”, “The Near East”, “India and Her Neighbors”, “The Far East” and “Japan”. As stated above, this series was written with the general public in mind, and so the tone is an easy, conversational style that very few academic writers can wrap their heads around (I guess we can thank Durant’s past as a teacher at the Ferrer Modern School and as a lecturer at Presbyterian churches for having helped developed his easy-to-follow style). Durant begins with an overview of the Mesopotamian civilizations – Sumeria, Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, Judea and Persia – from their rise and fall before moving on to Egypt from the earliest kings to the death of Alexander the Great. From there he moves into the Far East where he handles Indian, Chinese and Japanese civilizations up until the early 20th Century. As should be obvious, this is a general history, as the histories of India, China and Japan need volumes on their own.
But seeing as Durant began life as a philosopher and cut his teeth on that not-for-the-fainthearted subject, one must be ready for a philosophical bent to everything he touches upon:
A nation is born stoic, and dies epicurean. At its cradle (to repeat a thoughtful adage) religion stands, and philosophy accompanies it to the grave. In the beginning of all cultures a strong religious faith conceals and softens the nature of things, and gives men courage to bear pain and hardship patiently; at every step the gods are with them, and will not let them perish, until they do. Even then a firm faith will explain that it was the sins of the people that turned their gods to an avenging wrath; evil does not destroy faith, but strengthens it. If victory comes, if war is forgotten in security and peace, then wealth grows; the life of the body gives way, in the dominant classes, to the life of the senses and the mind; toil and suffering are replaced by pleasure and ease; science weakens faith even while thought and comfort weaken virility and fortitude. At last men begin to doubt the gods; they mourn the tragedy of knowledge, and seek refuge in every passing delight. Achilles is at the beginning, Epicurus at the end. After David comes Job, and after Job, Ecclesiastes.
Deep,
right? But this is what you may expect with Durant, not only in Our Oriental Heritage but across the
length and breadth of The Story of
Civilization as a series. Insightful, philosophical, meaningful and yet
always accessible, prepare yourself for a mind-opening experience as the whole
of the human experience is brought forth and laid at your doorstep.
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