False historical analogies cause misapplied lessons more than forgotten history

Evidence

Gilovich adds a new twist to George Santayana’s adage that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it: Those who see an unwarranted likeness to the past are disposed to misapply its lessons. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 397

Categorization

• CANDY: A clean, memorable one-liner twist on Santayana that works in casual conversation.