I agree that The Fourth Turning is definitely not a classic history book that can be proposed in a traditional history class. However, I found the interpretation of Strauss and Howe to be interesting and could almost be seen as some form of Applied History.
They tried to extract the trends and cycles of history through a generational lens to forecast the decades to come. I also think the authors were pretty careful not to fall into a purely deterministic view of history but rather offer some insights in the tendencies of society to come.
The authors also reminded the readers through the book (and in interviews) that while events are random by nature, the reaction of society in general tend to follow the constellation of generational archetypes.
In the end, interesting read and it represents one analysis grid among others.
I agree that The Fourth Turning is definitely not a classic history book that can be proposed in a traditional history class. However, I found the interpretation of Strauss and Howe to be interesting and could almost be seen as some form of Applied History.
They tried to extract the trends and cycles of history through a generational lens to forecast the decades to come. I also think the authors were pretty careful not to fall into a purely deterministic view of history but rather offer some insights in the tendencies of society to come.
The authors also reminded the readers through the book (and in interviews) that while events are random by nature, the reaction of society in general tend to follow the constellation of generational archetypes.
In the end, interesting read and it represents one analysis grid among others.
Thanks for sharing.