A User's Guide to History

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Take what you can, and hold it till you can't
The first law of human geography
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H. W. Brands
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That's easy for YOU to say
But is it therefore wrong?
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Life after Life
What a simple game reveals about a complex world
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H. W. Brands
Things could be worse
When problems can’t be solved, manage them
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H. W. Brands
From the Gallery of Good Ideas: Pneumatic tires
We moderns are accustomed to rapid turnover in technology. Each year’s crop of smartphones is smarter than the previous year’s. Monophonic vinyl records…
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H. W. Brands
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Framing the story
When my children were learning to drive, I admonished them to be careful and avoid accidents. I cited my own record of safe driving. In 35 years of…
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H. W. Brands
Forgive us our debts
But maybe not all of them
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Risk and reward
Upside and down
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From Lenin's tomb to Mar-a-Lago
Who speaks for the masses?
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Does American capitalism work?
Is it actually capitalism?
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Morality and democracy
I recently took part in a symposium on the condition of democracy in America. Panelists were asked what advice they would give the American people to…
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H. W. Brands
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Why parties?
Because we disagree
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