What Is History? Part 7
The certainty of history seems to be in direct inverse ratio to what we know about it. —Unknown
Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results. —Machiavelli
History is life; he who has not lived, or has lived only long enough to write a doctoral dissertation, is too inexperienced with life to write good history. —Louis Gottschalk
The value of history . . . is that it teaches us what man has done and thus what man is.
–R.G. Collingwood
History is a means of access to ourselves. –Lynn White
Good historians rescue the past from the tyranny of stereotypes. —R.A. Markus
Contemporary history is the least valuable of all kinds. The relevant importance of events and persons cannot be fully estimated till time has tested them and shown which is great and which is small. –S.O. McConell
Not all that is presented to us as history really happened; and what really happened did not actually happen the way it is presented to us; . . . Everything in history remains uncertain, the largest events as well as the smallest occurence. –Geothe
The historian must have some conception of how men who are not historians behave.
–anonymous critic of Gibbon
Impartiality is a dream and honesty a duty. . . . We cannot be impartial but we can be intellectually honest. —Salvemini
History is not a tale of the progressive discovery of new trruths, but of a series of old truths going in and out of fashion. —Robert Frost
G.M. Trevelyan's five reasons for studying history: To enlarge the mind; to remove prejudice and breed enthusiasm; to present ideals and heroes; to provide a background for understanding literature; to provide a background for travel, especially for identifying positions on a battlefield.
Trevelyan's definition of history: History consists of three functions: 1) scientific—the gathering and sifting of facts; 2) imaginative and speculative—guesses and generalizations; 3) literary—powerful narrative.
There is no "verdict of history" other than the private opinion of the individual. —Trevelyan
Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by incompetence. —Napoleon
Entries(RSS)
Robert Frost's quote surprised me. If only contemporary New Englanders were that reasonable.
ROBERT LEE Frost belonged to a dissident minority New England tradition of reasonable American patriots---in the line of Franklin Pierce, who Abe Lincoln wanted to arrest for critisising his war.
Robert Frost also wrote the following line:
"We sit in a circle and suppose,
The secret sits in the middle and knows."
We are those in the circle, and history is that in the middle. Behind that "secret" is 'The Secret" - the Mysterium Tremendum - who, however, reveals Himself through the lesser secrets, with history, art, science, letters, theology and life itself being among them.
Thus, we mortals, finite in all our ways, seek some knowledge of - "gnaw" at the fringes of if the Indo-European etymology is correct - the secrets around The Secret and claim in our hubris and arrogance to know, to understand and even to be wise, lacking the humility to apprenhend The Secret even as He walks among us in His Spirit, His Church, and in the small things and event around us.
I submit these aphorisms for consideration, based on years of close-up observation of Human behavior.
"Never underestimate the power of Human depravity."
"History teaches that anything is possible in this universe, even survival."
And, one of my personal favorites: "In any given situation, do not just assume the effects of Human incompetence, idiocy and depravity. Rely on them."
Your servant,
Lord Karth
KOLUBARA - 1914
In some fifty tongues the two generations’ old book says: “We know from experience that it is a thousand-time easier to reconstruct the facts of an era than its spiritual atmosphere”. ... All done, all said. An iota asked, perhaps?
The folk tune afresh:
“We don’t want to fight, But by jingo if we do, We got the men, We got the ships, We got the money too.” The tune, as it was, rings in our days at ease. Soul’s dream, else’s a nightmare, have they ever got hand in hand?
* * * * *
The Opera spiked the Brits’ line. it went on a jump in overtime: by blue this, or tint that, it misses the Drina’s single tread. The river bent, curled and crept, straight into the dreams and nightmare. How to halt it, how to hook it? Flip over by the swipe?
CVH’s the Polyglot Army: made of A, G, H, P, Cz, Cr, ... motley of a known book ... Tzar’s Corporal – Marshal of the “Y” – strayed into the Drina’s backwoods: pastures, streams, hamlets dressed in white.
Flatly beaten at Drina, they took another try. They had chosen a lesser river, Kolubara, win the battle: stride, sing, ... or die?
On the march Polyglot Army stripped the land of all alive. Reiss the Swiss had a plenty to see, tell and print. At that he stood firm in spite of voices from the side – to make up, to resign.
The work of a genius, or by the force of providence, or by the virtue of both the lot had glowed. Weaken as they were the Serbs held the ground. Hill by hill, the battle line shrank, forces fused: the swift counterattack broke the soft grass, the immense sky.
Polyglot Army chased by the wind, gloried to an eternal crown: they would come with Bismark’s Grenadiers, next time, ... next time?
/PDJGBP - 2006/(86 - CVH: Conrad von Hotzendorf)
Past, present and future sitting in a room. Makes you wonder how the past is going to turn out, if it's true we wind up where we started from. I don't think that's necessarily actual because in mother Nature's allowing for creatures (i.e. ourselves) capable of conscious thought or being aware of being aware, doesn't it suggest she's angling toward transcendance of herself? As a matter of fact we didn't start there, we started as did the other creatures only capable of uncsoncisous thought. Although as Machiavelli points out we cycle through the same emotions and passions with an apparently similar lack of control continually. It's why I have always touted the new organic human technology primal therapy. http://www.primaltherapy.com Is it possible that as we become as familiar with our own feeling area of the brain as we have become with conscious thought the present might change eventually? I don't know. Even if we do wind up where we started from given - [past, present and future sittinging in a room] - does a changed present change the past too, since we know an actually changed present does change the future. It's a strange world and we're all a strange part of it. Human beings are still primarily their emotions, and I would add especially those most in control of them. Excess leads to danger, danger leads to drama. Better to explore the feeling realm than to simply cram them into a can or bottle, no? Men don't like to. For women these things are more familiar to them.
I once adored history, until I realized how much of it was perception.
Now, I simply read it with skepticism.
Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results. — Machiavelli
What is it that hath been? the same thing that shall be. What is it that hath been done? the same that shall be done. Nothing under the sun is new, neither is any man able to say: Behold this is new: for it hath already gone before in the ages that were before us. …..That which hath been made, the same continueth: the things that shall be, have already been: and God restoreth that which is past. — Ecclesiastes 1:9-10, 3:15
Is it too hard for most of you to believe that the past glories of a Roman Catholic Monarchy (Holy Roman Empire) will be re-established and restored in Europe, to replace the old & tired modern democratic system?
"Among all the paths of history, the path to God is the true direction we must seek to find" Pope Benedict XVI
God - shmad - I like God does he like me? I don't know. I hope.
But since i have a very High i.q. and have always known about the UNKnOWABLE ... mystery being in other words inevitable ... I hope God wuvs me. ? Do I wuv god? yes. I'm a good dog I'm sane before the powers greater i show my furry belly ... ok? I ain't crazy. G-d - you wuv me? The funny thing is - my 'betters' not only don't 'believe' they don't even know to suspend disbelief... their i.q.'s are in fact so Low - except it's only an instrument of social control - how the hell you think for example bushW got to be el'Presidente after going to Harvard. HA-HA-HA-HA - etc. Funny.
_________
"History consists of three functions: 1) scientific—the gathering and sifting of facts; 2) imaginative and speculative—guesses and generalizations; 3) literary—powerful narrative."
Part #3 is seriously missing in today's academy.
Part #1 is missing also. . Part #2 is missing too, replaced by prefabricated Cultural Marxist ideology.
N. G. P. Moses @ 11:
Your generosity is excessive. Today's "academy" is not so much an institution for transmitting knowledge as a Huxleyian College of Emotional Engineering.
What is called "history" in such institutions has three functions of its own:
1) Indoctrination: the denial of facts in favor of prevailing politically favored fictions (in the Lukacsian sense);
2) Ideological rigor: censorship and thought-policing as to what members of the CEE (Engineer and "indoctrinee" alike) can say and write--to the extent that "ideology" survives in today's CEE; the word generally implies a coherent or semi-coherent system of connected thoughts. The modern CEE's Unholy Trinity of Anti-racism/-sexism/-homophobia can only be described as "coherent" by an extremely flexible use of the word.
3) Incoherence: loud and emotion-laden displays designed to produce a desired emotional state of victimization and intellectual dependence on the alpha-dominant leader of the "discussion".
I would submit that 90 % + of what passes for instruction in any discipline not governed by hard mathematics in today's CEE is not only detrimental to the development of knowledge in the student, but most properly suited for study by clinical psychiatrists.
Your servant,
Lord Karth
Yes, Dr. Wilson and Lord Karth, I was indeed being generous. I just finished four years "studying" history in the acursed fraternity Iota-Iota-Iota of which the latter speaks, and it seems I am already blocking out the horror now that I am, thank Christ, an ocean away from that horrifying house.
Speaking of history, did anyone encounter CNN's "factoids" last night concerning Lincoln and his "Emancipation Proclamation"? It seems that Mr. Lincoln, according to CNN, with the stroke of a pen, emancipated millions of slaves and that these emancipated slaves flocked to the Union army and thereby brought about a quick end to the war. Hurrah and Hurray!
What does this "representation" say about the "fact, the imagination and the narrative"? Also, where is the forum, national that is, for the truth?
"Not all that is presented to us as history really happened; and what really happened did not actually happen the way it is presented to us; . . . Everything in history remains uncertain, the largest events as well as the smallest occurence. –Geothe"
How are we then to value and learn from history, when we don't know what is true and what is lies?
To Larry at #16:
"How are we then to value and learn from history, when we don’t know what is true and what is lies?"
I am neither a historian nor philosopher, but I may suggest that the answer to your question may have something to do with Tradition (capital and lower case) as a means of transmitting and understanding the Truth (capital and lower case).
For example, we "helpless" people may be confused when our elites and their conspiring media organs make an empassioned call to arms for something or other. We may not understand the history behind it (recent or ancient). But tradition and simple teachings on right and wrong applied straight-forwardly would inform us that it is wrong to assault civilians from the "safe" (perhaps physcially, if not morally) height of a stealth bomber. These and other dishonorable acts (supposedly carried out on "our" behalf) should give us pause and give reason enough to question the "history" supplied to us as a reason for their implementation. And questions can be an immensely helpful guide, even when unanswered.
History started around campfires in tribal times. It was a central part of that which kept the tribe thinking itself important, creating cohesion and passing on values. History serves an essential function within society.
Academic history has forgotten what the historic function of history has been up to now. They have gotten into the debunking business using scientific accuracy as a tool. Mr. Moses you are correct. Grand narratives are said to be dead and inaccurate. We need multiple perspectives. There is merit in that, but too much of it, as Dr. Wilson suggested, is a cloak for fabricated Marxist ideology. Rather than serve the central function that history is to serve within a culture, they use history to destroy and debunk the culture. This is enormously destructive.
The popularity of history can be seen in the existence of the history channel. Many best selling books concer historical topics. Many top movies depict historical events. Histories popularity results from its tribal roots. Academic historians who have stripped the positive messages and narrative of history do not sell. This should tell them something; we need our myths.
The Marxist narrative is effective because it is built around a handful of words; I am sure that forumites of Chronicles can add to the list, although it is actually, at least in my experience, not that long:
equality the commons
social justice the village
worker the party
racism human rights
homophobia civil rights
gender bias the environment
diversity plan or program
multiculturalism humankind
constructivism world peace
sensitivity class warfare
change hope
transcend struggle
awareness emancipation
sustainibility living wage
Sorry for the failed double list!
Mr. Peters:
I'll go you one better. The Marxist narrative---indeed, the narrative of the overwhelming majority of political systems above the county or small-state level (where one can actually go and SEE one's rulers and punch them in the mouth if need be) can be summed up in two sentences:
1) "I know what's best for you."
2) "Gimme."
'Nuff said.
Your servant,
Lord Karth
"The popularity of history can be seen in the existence of the history channel."
Not to say that the History Channel is, even remotely, worth purchasing or watching.
The reliability of the naive
... Suffice it to note that for the historian the advantage of hagiography and similar popular literature is their ingenuousness, which renders them, from one perspective, reliable beyond suspicion...The less important to the narrator the facts are that interest the historian, the more uninflected and hence more reliable the account will be; indirect evidence tends to be indifferent, and therefore free of tendentiousness or intentional deception.
Through Their Own Eyes Liturgy as the Byzantines Saw It Robert Taft, S.J.
Even though the quote specifically addresses Liturgical history I do think the principle is applicable to secular history.
Everything of spiritual merit in patently This world can only be metaphoric.
Those who wish to believe their myths 'as if' actual and not metaphoric are immature, yet.
This is why Christianity is the best religion in the world for gentiles and jews. It's the best of both levels of maturity i.e. mature & immature.
And why Judaism is the worst religion in the world for anyone - since it's sheer myth as if actual and worse - unadjusted anachronism.
And Abe begat ... idiot etc. etc. And it's supposed to be literal. I'll give its unadjustedness this - it's Funny. Like Kissinger. Ahh... Are there any "catholic" jews now going to come out of the woodwork and attack me as a 'wacko' ... ? male or female. I'm tellin'Ya - it's funny. The only guy funnier than kissmyinger is Z-big, the war monger.