The Active Art of Learning from History

To effectively apply historical knowledge, one must learn to distinguish between Contingency and Inevitability, acknowledging that many defining historical moments were not preordained but resulted from small, contingent choices or sheer luck. By identifying these moments of choice, we highlight the power of individual agency and the importance of seemingly minor decisions. This prevents us from falling into historical determinism and empowers us to believe that current outcomes, too, are still mutable and open to intervention.