Small Questions - Part 5

[Doctor_Wu]

Is it History, or history?


Today's offering...

What does History mean to you?

Is history the recording of events...nothing more than an accounting of the past?

Or is it more... do you believe that History is a process of ongoing improvement?

[Ne0rC]

I think there is a limit to how much a society can improve, and this is about it.

[mmathis]

Knowing that the Magna Carta was signed in 1215 is pretty useless. However, history can provide some insight into some things - outcomes of possible wars or conflicts, possible consequences from trade sanctions, etc - based on what has happened due to these things previously.

[Flatline]

Knowing that the Magna Carta was signed in 1215 is pretty useless. However, history can provide some insight into some things - outcomes of possible wars or conflicts, possible consequences from trade sanctions, etc - based on what has happened due to these things previously.

I have to agree...dates are good for Trivial Pusuit games...history serves as a learning tool so you dont keep doing the same "STUPID" things... :nod:

[Doctor_Wu]

I have to agree...dates are good for Trivial Pusuit games...history serves as a learning tool so you dont keep doing the same "STUPID" things... :nod:


Ah... excellent... now were getting somewhere!

[Deravish]

I believe that "History is a process of ongoing improvement?" I also believe that technology is both a factor and an indication of that improvement. So far, for example. the collective "we" have managed to not nuke ourselves into oblivion, and obviously although the risk of that remains pretty high here-now, the techonology 'arrived' at a point in our history where the risk could be considered safe. I imagine and believe that at Magna Carta time the then-we would have had a higher risk of nuke-wipeout had the technology been disovered then.

[Clark Howard Jr]

Recording of Events. We've learned little from it.

[mmathis]

I have to agree...dates are good for Trivial Pusuit games...history serves as a learning tool so you dont keep doing the same "STUPID" things... :nod:

Or so that you keep doing the same good things

[bookishboy]

History is......

Written by the winner, or the literati, the "owners of language", or the rich, or powerful.

Propaganda

A record of events, leading from past to future

Right Now

Exciting

A lesson

Biased

Boring

Suspect

Incomplete

In the past

Open for debate

Changing

An anchor

A mirror

[bookishboy]

Ah... excellent... now were getting somewhere!

:) No we're not. You still want to use the law as a moral crowbar, to forcibly lever people into a particular moral framework, or beat them when they don't acquiesce.

[Doctor_Wu]

:) No we're not. You still want to use the law as a moral crowbar, to forcibly lever people into a particular moral framework, or beat them when they don't acquiesce.


Says you...

:confused: Have you been body snatched? I don't remember the taunting side of bookishboy...

Feel free to cite specifics...
:look:

[XXnarg]

time 4 q 6

[bookishboy]

Oh, goodness; you want me to dig up quotes? I'm not on here as much as I used to be; may take a few days, but I'll try to oblige.

[cosmic_kid]

history is a record of events. when analysis, prediction, interpretation, etc. take place, we move beyond history into other 'sciences', notably Social Studies.. :yucky:

[Doctor_Wu]

Oh, goodness; you want me to dig up quotes? I'm not on here as much as I used to be; may take a few days, but I'll try to oblige.



Well.... considering your time is limited now... I'd rather just have a discussion on a topic or two.

I wouldn't want you to devote time we could spend bickering to research... though you might find something interesting to bicker about.

[Deravish]

I got a hoot out of today's
Quote of the Day from BrainyQuote.com

Alexis de Tocqueville
"History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies."

[Doctor_Wu]

Excellent.... I love Tocqueville

[steaksauce]

I can't believe " History is nothing more than the recording of events" is winning 8 to 5 right now.

To me, it's a definite process of improvement. Many professions encourage or require a person to improve upon their work, which could be a decider between keeping or losing your job or getting that raise that you've always been eyeing for. In a Capitalistic society such as our own, we can never stand still... we have to read, learn, process, and improve upon them... this could mean a doomed company or a market leader in a competitive industry.

But, there are things that go on without any cares, like... what The Raddish ate for dinner last night. There is no way for us to improve upon that. He can improve it for himself by adding a little more salt into that dish to flavor it up, or something.

Lastly, I see history as a process of improvement and act upon them on every opportunity, thus I'll become a much more productive, efficient, and meaningful citizen of this country and life more fulfilling.

[Doctor_Wu]

I can't believe " History is nothing more than the recording of events" is winning 8 to 5 right now.



I too am suprised steaksauce. I was under the impression that History as a story, or an end... in other words Historicism would be very popular.

Though turnout for this vote has been low... maybe some of your Historicist brethren are holding back on us...

[cosmic_kid]

I think asking what 'history' is can be taken many different ways. Yes you can learn from history, progress, grow, etc. But those processes aren't confined to history. We can learn from observation, from prediction, we can progress through random and free thought processes, grow by eating food ;) ... History may be a component of those processes, but to me it is merely the record of events. What we do with that record is the stuff of other disciplines and sciences.

Just my humble opinion.. :D

[ImaginaryFriend]

History is a scorecard written mostly by the team who thinks they won......

[Jhaan]

This was a hard one to vote on. I believe history is more than just a recording of facts, but I can't fully claim it's a process for improvement when so much of it is forgotten.

In the end, I chose it's more than just facts simply because history is more human than that.