Why The Fall Of The Roman Republic Is A Good Analogy For Today’s Chaotic Time — Part 2
How to analyze current events using historical analogies.
“History is not a cookbook offering pretested recipes. It teaches by analogy, not by maxims.” — Henry Kissinger
As former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger reflected, history teaches by analogy.
“It can illuminate the consequences of actions in comparable situations. Yet each generation must discover for itself what situations are in fact comparable.” — Henry Kissinger
According to Kissinger, the ability to use analogies is the most powerful weapon you have in your mental arsenal. Analogies are not perfect tools, but they can be used in order to understand current problems, and to create solutions.
The secret to using analogies successfully is keeping in mind where they can help us, and where they can’t. It is also about recognizing where there are significant similarities between the two situations, but also where there are differences.
