Specifically, Mazlish's point-of-view of historiography as a kind of evolutionary state self and socially awareness is inextricably tied to one's place in history- past, present, and future. Indeed, in Mazlish's (1966) conclusion, he points out that "[h]istory was of the same nature as physics," in that it was "based on experience and was a matter of the highest probability, rather than certainty" (p. 430). Thus, readers have the pleasure of an acutely intelligent discussion on the relationship between academic fields and the content with which comprises those fields. The weaknesses of Mazlish's book are contained in the lack of further explanation of the previously noted strengths. Mazlish captivated me with his initial assessments of history in the introduction, and then stopped making the kind of connections that I was...

While the thorough discussion of the philosophers' take on history was interesting, and indeed critical, to a historian's knowledge, it would have been a more fun read had Mazlish drew more connections between his thesis statement and the philosophers arguments.
In conclusion, The Riddle of History offers innumerable insights to the human condition in the wisdom of both himself as a scholar and those famous thinkers with which he ascribes to his main research and writings. As Mazlish (1966) denotes, there are "a seemingly infinite number of combinations and views" in the way people regard their role in history, and history's role in their lives as well.

Bibliography

Mazlish, Bruce. (1966). The riddle of history; the great speculators from Vico to Freud.…