Summary of David Berlinski's Human Nature

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The train that transported the Orient Express passengers left from the Gare de l’Est just after 18:30 every Tuesday evening. The train’s sixteen elegant wagon-lits were pulled by a steam-powered locomotive. The train’s attitude of optimism was widespread in the early twentieth century.

#2 The Orient Express crossed the French frontier at Strasbourg, and passengers could see the snow-fields of the northern Alps reflected in the sky, pink and pastel, gashed by gold.

#3 The cause of the First World War was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. Their murder was an accident, but their nationalististic motives were clear.

#4 The assassination of Franz Ferdinand was an insult to the honor of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, and it was both a threat and a promise of war. The Austro-Hungarian government considered the assassination an insult to its honor and a threat to its security.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822518339

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

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Insights on David Berlinski's Human Nature

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The train that transported the Orient Express passengers left from the Gare de l’Est just after 18:30 every Tuesday evening. The train’s sixteen elegant wagon-lits were pulled by a steam-powered locomotive. The train’s attitude of optimism was widespread in the early twentieth century.

#2

The Orient Express crossed the French frontier at Strasbourg, and passengers could see the snow-fields of the northern Alps reflected in the sky, pink and pastel, gashed by gold.

#3

The cause of the First World War was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. Their murder was an accident, but their nationalististic motives were clear.

#4

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand was an insult to the honor of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, and it was both a threat and a promise of war. The Austro-Hungarian government considered the assassination an insult to its honor and a threat to its security.

#5

In June of 1914, Romania seemed interested in neither the Triple Alliance nor the Entente. It was content to loom large in the thinking of both without directly participating in either group’s affairs.

#6

The Germans had asked for quick action from the Austrians, but the Austro-Hungarian empire was by nature slothful and by habit dilatory. They thought to satisfy Tisza by preparing an ultimatum that would be rejected.

#7

The Russian government was determined to prevent the Austrian ultimatum from being delivered to Serbia, and they acted on Serbia’s behalf if it was rejected. They did not understand or appreciate Austria’s intentions, but they were determined to prevent war.

#8

The European balance of power in 1914 was in the hands of diplomats who were not capable of handling the situation. They were mediocrities, and they allowed the First World War to be made.

#9

The July Crisis showed that the European powers were unable to understand their own interests well enough to protect them. The Serbian response to the Austrian ultimatum was as incompetent as