How does ignorance about the past cause modern day problems?
Post with the most interesting/compelling/insightful part of your response that you formed in class. Please comment/constructively critique another response as well.
Ignorance about the past causes modern day problems because we need to reflect on our past mistakes to try and correct them. But on the other hand, no matter how much we study and teach our past, history still repeats itself, so is all the studying really necessary or is it just a waste of time?
Don't we claim that our purpose for studying the past is so that we don't repeat it. Ingnorance would therefore cause us to follow the same paths in history. Because we all are on our own levels of knowing the past, we are divided by our ignorance and where it will lead us.
I wrote my response with the following quotes in mind: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." "Only the dead have seen the end of war." - George Santayana
As I was writing my argument, I wanted to keep in mind that ignorance is not necessarily a bad thing - it provides those who are willing an opportunity to learn. It may be an openness towards learning and understanding that is more important that the raw knowledge itself.
I remembered what Sam said: "Those who don't study history repeat it; those who do have to watch the world repeat it." I also remembered what you said as an economics teacher: people know that in the past there were economic downturns due to over speculation, yet we still do this to this day thinking that the market is going to go up, but most of the time it won't.
"The irrationality and impulsive nature of humanity has often trumped the knowledge gained by studying history." Boom. Mind blown.
ReplyDeleteIgnorance about the past causes modern day problems because we need to reflect on our past mistakes to try and correct them. But on the other hand, no matter how much we study and teach our past, history still repeats itself, so is all the studying really necessary or is it just a waste of time?
ReplyDeleteDon't we claim that our purpose for studying the past is so that we don't repeat it. Ingnorance would therefore cause us to follow the same paths in history. Because we all are on our own levels of knowing the past, we are divided by our ignorance and where it will lead us.
ReplyDeleteI wrote my response with the following quotes in mind:
ReplyDelete"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
"Only the dead have seen the end of war."
- George Santayana
As I was writing my argument, I wanted to keep in mind that ignorance is not necessarily a bad thing - it provides those who are willing an opportunity to learn. It may be an openness towards learning and understanding that is more important that the raw knowledge itself.
ReplyDeleteI remembered what Sam said: "Those who don't study history repeat it; those who do have to watch the world repeat it." I also remembered what you said as an economics teacher: people know that in the past there were economic downturns due to over speculation, yet we still do this to this day thinking that the market is going to go up, but most of the time it won't.
ReplyDelete