--Lessons--
Human Stories
History
From hominin to sapien to cities.
Recent Tidbits:
Stories, Quotes, and FAQs.
The wisdom builder tidbits that feed the columns, articles, and trainer.
HISTORY
Featured Story
Intellect & Wisdom
Al-Farabi’s three stages of intellect offer a useful way to reflect on your own learning — from impressions to various skills. Some skills remain untapped potential, others are developing, and some have matured into deep understanding. Wisdom includes recognizing where you stand in each area, appreciating your progress, and knowing what you still have to learn.
Featured QUOTE
History
Quote
“We are dwarfs on the shoulders of giants.”
- Bernard of Chartres
- circa 1130 CE
Cultural Transmission
John of Salisbury was remembering what he used to say.
Each of us inherits a particular spacetime. The wise person learns how to sort ideas and integrate inherited truth, and to reject inherited illusion. This speaks to the power of cultural transmission. While animals teach their young, humans alone possess the transcendental intelligence to record, describe, and write down ideas. This ability allows knowledge to endure across generations, transcending time and space, building on past wisdom to shape our future.
Featured FAQ
History
FAQ
How important was the printing press to cultural transmission?
Cultural Transmission
We inherit more knowledge than any one mind could discover alone. Take control by choosing what deserves your attention. Think well by questioning and evaluating what you inherit. Live well by using humanity’s accumulated wisdom to improve your life, and when possible, contribute something worthwhile for future generations.
Updated Tidbits
World History
The Human Story in Time
World history from prehistory to our time.
History traces the arc of humanity from the earliest hominin artifacts through post-medieval civilization and into what we call “Our Time.” It studies how ideas, cultures, technologies, and power structures evolve under real-world pressures. Dates are not arbitrary—they frame how we interpret meaning, continuity, and change.
Evidence-first History
History built from traces, context, and confidence.
Deep-Dive Articles
Education: On Testing in Schools
Anonymous practice tests help teachers spot knowledge gaps and teach more effectively.
No Kings Has Deep Historical Roots
Recent protests reflect the timeless struggle to limit power and oppression using checks and balances.
Pragmatism and Pythagoras
Pythagoras exemplifies rational pragmatism and reminds us that authority is often topic specific. Choose your authorities carefully, because good authority is usually limited to a ...
Women’s Rights History in 3 Minutes!
History shows that when rights are left to the states, they’re often lost, limited, or delayed. Check out the story of women's rights from gaining ...
Confucius and the Analects: His Teachings, No Doubt
Honor the life you are standing in. Spirituality is lived in the present role: with respect, sincerity, restraint, gratitude, and care.
Must-Reads
Ancient History
Pragmatism and Pythagoras
Pythagoras exemplifies rational pragmatism and reminds us that authority is often topic specific. Choose your authorities carefully, because good authority is usually limited to a ...
Ancient Humans
The Evolution of Vocabulary in Ancient Humans
The evolution of language is the evolution of communication. From touch which evolved about 800 million years ago to human words. Along the journey, communication ...
Ancient History
Echoes of the Self: Exploring Consciousness Across the Ages
Consciousness is the capacity for awareness; animals add subjective experience, and humans add self-reflection and inquiry.
New Ideas
Ancient Humans
Holistic Paleolithic Framework: A New Look at Prehistory
A new look at dividing up the paleolithic era switches from lower, middle, and upper to Stone, Fire, Cultural, Symbolic, Cognitive, and prehistory ending specifically ...
Ancient Humans
EQ: The Story of Ancient Human Brains
Ancient human brains evolved gradually over millions of years, with important bursts of change, producing minds that were often far more capable than traditional stories ...
Updated Articles