Yes, evolving values/judgements should never enter actual historical events.
Sh*t happened and we need to accept it, learn from it, and move on.
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BUT IT'S ONLY COMING FROM FRINGE GROUPS ON THE INTERNET!
- Thread starter Ifallalot
- Start date
Sh*t happened and we need to accept it, learn from it, and move on.
My comment was inclusive of the media and the education systems as well as the politicians.
You guys aren't making any sense. Would you both agree that, historically, well, with everything, really, that things happen because of something else? One thing leads to another? Or is history just a series of "and then?"
If the word "because" is used anywhere in discussing history, whoever is attributing cause is assigning value.
History:
"Slavery happened and it was a big deal. It happened mostly because white people who held all the power and money didn't think black people were fully human."
Woke History:
"Slavery happened and it was a big deal. It happened mostly because white people who held all the power and money didn't think black people were fully human. They were awful people. Lots of white people still think that way, and they must be defeated."
"Slavery happened and it was a big deal. It happened mostly because white people who held all the power and money didn't think black people were fully human."
Woke History:
"Slavery happened and it was a big deal. It happened mostly because white people who held all the power and money didn't think black people were fully human. They were awful people. Lots of white people still think that way, and they must be defeated."
I read your statement that we should use today's values to decide what is taught in history. If we do that (and that is what is happening in K-12 education) we leave out the important parts of this led to that and yada yada yada
We (us, now, in this time) bring our values to, and, assign value to history. This has always been the case, throughout history. It's not a matter of should, it happens, it's how humans are, period.
I think of history as an investigation/case that has been closed, even for centuries, but only temporarily. New evidence arises, new facts emerge and the case is reopened. I have no problem with reassessing what has been the canon to date based on current values, new facts emerging, and making changes to what is taught, as long as the facts agree with reality.
I think of history as an investigation/case that has been closed, even for centuries, but only temporarily. New evidence arises, new facts emerge and the case is reopened. I have no problem with reassessing what has been the canon to date based on current values, new facts emerging, and making changes to what is taught, as long as the facts agree with reality.
If you look at history like you are in your 2nd paragraph, which is what we should be doing, you cannot assign value to history if you mean some things are worth being taught more than others
That's exactly why History was stuck with the Great Man theory for so long
-Old but relevant joke from the Soviet Union (where healthcare was "free")
'The future is known, it's the past that's always changing'
Why not?
We do assign value, always, ALWAYS, it's what humans do. History doesn't exist independent of us. We decide what's worth being taught (what we value based on our values) and that changes over time, because our values change over time.
History exists independently of us because it is happening regardless of what we're doing.
Deciding what is taught and what is left out is exactly why Americans are ahistorical dummies and the exact reason why I said there's not enough time to teach it in schools.
Let's think of the 1800-1850 period for example. The early explorers of the West are just as important to today as the fight over slavery and the sectional differences in that same time period and are integrally linked to it as well. They'd even be acceptable in today's dogma since they were people of every race. The Mountain Men built today's America, but "Education" has determined the only thing worth teaching is the race/slavery fight at the "theft" of the Native American land.
In a broader sense, teaching history on what we think is valuable is why things were covered up for ages as well. Selecting what should and shouldn't be taught in a subject that many people have no interest in is paramount to covering it up
And my thought is that:
History does not exist independently of us because we are creating it.
So it seems we disagree about what history fundamentally is.
It without a doubt has relation to values.
we learn from history; both what to do and what not to do. Without it we would be even dumber.