Tag Archives: Henry VIII

A Tragic Theory of History

This article proposes a “tragic theory of history”: that human affairs are shaped less by steady progress than by the recurring triumph of selfishness over conscience. From Henry VIII’s dynastic obsessions to Gandhi’s appeal to non-violence, history shows how intelligence can serve desire or compassion depending on whether consciousness is awake or blinded. Unless conscience is recovered and lived inwardly, the path of power and technology points not to progress but to catastrophe.