Never Again?

The tragic myth of learned lessons

How many times have human beings crawled out of the wreckage of a human-caused disaster and solemnly vowed, “Never again”?

And how many times have we gone right ahead and added many “agains” to the “never”?

In the United States, the Civil War left more than 620,000 dead. Some estimates go even higher. Afterward, the country said, “Never again.” But soon, …