The past teaches us a simple but crucial lesson: Things could be different. The way our world is organized is not the result of some axiomatic evolution. Our current status quo could just as easily be the result of the trivial yet critical twists and turns of history. Historians don’t believe in hard and fast laws of progress or economics; the world is governed not by abstract forces, but by people who plot their own course. Consequently, the past not only puts things into perspective; it can also galvanize our imaginations.
