A perrenial question - not necessarily novel - but constantly worthy of our consideration:
"If we study history to learn from the mistakes of the past, why are we constantly repeating the mistakes of the past?" Notwithstanding the fact that we study history for many reasons, the question remains poignant.
I introduce this blog as a means of using history precisely for that purpose - to reflect on events in today's world through the lens of the past. Are we constantly following in the same tragic footsteps as our ancestors? And is that really why we study the events of the past?
I invite you to comment, critique, speculate, and otherwise join me in this endeavor with an eye ultimately towards our collective edification on the presumption that there is great value in learning for its own sake, even if we are destined to repeat the errors of previous generations.
A brilliant idea! Looking forward to learning from past mistakes, and to better understand how the past may inform us about a better future. Thank you for this great initiative.
ReplyDeleteThis caught my eye: “As someone who came of age during the 1980s”
ReplyDeleteI respond: “As someone who came of age during the 1940s”, I agree completely. We were all personally engaged in the war. In addition we were taxed – something GWB refrained from doing. He ran the wars in Iran and Afghanistan on borrowed money.
Also “If we study history to learn from the mistakes of the past, why are we constantly repeating the mistakes of the past?"
Reply: What I have learned from history is that we do not learn from history.
Vide Tuchman’s The March of Folly, Robert McNamara’s retrospective comments on the Vietnam war.
Of course I must agree with Irv regarding our general inability to learn from the mistakes of past history - and hence the concept of this blog. I also concur regarding the taxation issue when America purports to be at war - I believe it demonstrates a fear of public backlash and concern regarding an innate sense of isolationism - that in general most Americans do not want to be involved in Foreign conflicts, but if American engagement does not impact their lives at home - meaning no financial or human toll reaching beyond a small fraction of our population - than the American public can generally ignore the reality of American involvement. When I post next week reflecting on 9/11 I think we really need to think about how much average American lives have truly been impacted by these events.
ReplyDelete