Author Description

Why was the 20th century the most violent in history? Why is the 21st century shaping up to be as bad, if not worse? Our Place in Time is a concise, lucid account of world history that provides an answer to these questions. It does so while presenting world history with some unique perceptions, including: * A number of mnemonics that make the passage of ages and the last nine centuries more memorable. * Making the case for Mark Twain's often recognized quip that history does not repeat itself but it does rhyme. * Pointing out numerous astounding coincidences in history that Karl Jung would have viewed as meaningful and suggesting what they might imply. * Advancing that Karl Jaspers' concept of an Axial Age might well be applicable to our own, albeit in a different dimension. * Concentrating on the four major civilizations that have brought us to today-Confucian China, the Christian West, the Muslim Middle East, and Hindu India-and three main themes that run through them-governance, finance, and science. * Presenting Immanuel Kant's original concept of a world organization in comparison to the United Nations. * The provision of forty original charts illustrative of the above. Kent Augustson was part of the PhD program at UCLA in his youth, receiving a Master's degree before coming to Washington DC to live history. While continuing his readings, for years he used a facility with mathematics to direct offices working with aspects of the federal budget in matching words and numbers creatively for defense before the White House OMB and the Congress. In Our Place in Time, he applies honed analytical skills to a life-long study of history. "Happy is the man who can recognize in the world of Today a connected portion of the work of life, and embodiment of the work of Eternity." James Clerk Maxwell