Heidi At Stathi Professor Christian Warren History 2001W February 8th, 2014 On Aphorisms, Philosophy, and History When

an individual ventures out to gain knowledge, the most natural course of action would be through the academic study of a topic. However, such an objective requires for the nature of said topic to be defined. In the case of History, the useful definitions tend to vary, for they encompass a wide variety of sub-disciplines necessary for the understanding of the whys, hows, and the role of the whos in the unfolding of history. First and foremost, one can ask the question of why we even study such a topic, what are the benefits of doing so, how can we categorize the events of significance, what is fact and what is fiction, who are the faces shaping our understanding and comprehension of history? The longer the list, the more surreal and intangible this quest becomes, but the best place to begin to answer such questions is anywhere. To begin, let us take a look at what may come about from the exploration of history. Speculation may lead to the realization that history enables the minds of men (and women) to know thyself, and thy fellow man, provide a platform for which we can observe patterns in human nature and behavior that occur in clusters, observably leading to the occurrence of certain events, so as to avoid those behaviors and actions that predominantly lead to the destruction, or less dramatically, the general deviation from the best interest of said society (especially those under certain governmental and economical policies predisposed to exploiting their people) as indicated and supported by the analysis of historical texts of relevance. Furthermore, history serves as a map of our collective thoughts and actions (generational), which may aid in making inferences relative to the present situation at hand

and by presenting all the information, unbiasedly, in order to give the opportunity to future societies to make their own informed decisions regarding what works and what doesnt when governing the masses. Another important role of history lies in its capacity to guarantee a voice to, place a face on, and document the stories of those who have sacrificed and paved the road for the betterment of society, so we never forget the struggles of those who selflessly acted for the greater good and future of man ( and those who purposely acted in self interest to further their own agendas, let history make such acts known too). Finally, the most invaluable gift history can give is that of providing the tools for transformation and regeneration in the world. For what is a lesson learned if it is not applied? Amongst the many men who set out to transform a body of people, a particularly successful quest was embarked by Aurelius Augustine (St. Augustine of Hippo). As a Christian Neoplatonist, North African Bishop, and doctor of Roman Catholic Church, he successfully merged the Greek philosophical tradition with the Judeo-Christian Religious and scriptural traditions into a Western Philosophical tradition. He was famous for his subtle accounts of belief and authority, knowledge and illumination, emphasis on importance and centrality of the will, and focused on developing new methods for conceptualizing the phenomena of human history1. Although not a historian, Carl Heinrich Becker is another notable transformer who set out for the betterment of society. A German orientalist and politician, Becker served as Minister for Culture in Prussia, was one of the founders of contemporary Middle Eastern studies, and a primary reformer of the education system in the Weimar Republic.

Mendelson, Michael, "Saint Augustine", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2012 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2012/entries/augustine/>.

Following the above, naturally the next step would be to question if the past can truly be understood and defined in the manner which other fields of study such as scientific facts are established? This is a difficult notion indeed, for can something of a predominantly subjective nature ever be considered amongst the ranks of those, purely objective in nature? The answer? maybe. It is important to take note of the fact that history is interpreted through a vessel, that being the historian (or philosopher), and translated through this vessel to into the minds of the masses. It is essentially an individual, subjective undertaking, no matter how much it is forced to fit the mold of objectivity. History has philosophical and religious influences in the sense that issues such as morality, values, good vs evil, right vs wrong, the nature of humanity and its best course of action relative to self preservation, and preservation of the masses are brought into direct question and analytical observation is carried out via intellectual queries, logical deductions and inductions. It is of additional importance to state that, individual projections are directed outwardly into the world and thus, the world is analyzed through those individuals mental constructs, where the historical facts deemed as such are directly related to the historian/philosophers individual capacity for and expression of the virtues of a true historian. The unification and balance of mind, degree of self- awareness, perception of the world and society based off individual code of ethics, values, morals, and beliefs, finally, integrating with concepts defined as having rulership over the external world are what form a unified, and of course intellectually orientated account of the facts. Facts are drawn from the investigation of what was, picking apart everything which came before (philosophies, traditions, etc), taking what is recognized as relevant, combined

with the understanding of the role of the individual in conceptualizing history, and finally interpreted through the specific societal/cultural norms relevant to the formation of what is defined as fact and fiction within its rightful context. Therefore, for history to be placed in the same category as science, the historian is of primary significance to define; how well does he/she exhibit the 6 virtues of a historian? If the historian is the physical embodiment of such virtues (accuracy, love of order, logic, honesty, self- awareness, imagination), then that individuals account of history can be established as a truth. One well known historian, who gained recognition for his admirable character was Sir Isaiah Berlin. Berlin was a Russian born British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas, thought to be the dominant scholar of his generation. His notable ideas were Two Concepts of Liberty, Counter- Enlightenment, and Value Pluralism for which he was termed a brilliant, intellectual, conversationalist2. Berlins accounts of history were treated as factual, but one can argue that this was due to his embodiment of virtuosity more so than his ideas alone, or had they been translated by another scholar in the field. Therefore history will never be as concretely factual as science in this area, there is ALWAYS the need for opposing ideologies, no two individuals will ever experience and perceive a situation exactly the same. And that is just one fact that cannot be denied. Ideas, individuals, and deep material factors are crucial to the study of history. This is because history is essentially an account of everything there ever was, everyone that ever was, how they all collided, and the outcomes of these interactions and collisions. As implied in the sections above, individuals are of dire significance. Looking back throughout history, Charles Beard serves as wonderful example of the collision between self and the external
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1. "Philosopher and political thinker Sir Isaiah Berlin dies". BBC News. 8 November 1997. Retrieved 7 March 2012.

powers that be. As one of the most influential historians of the first half of the 20th century, his contributions range from published monographs, textbooks, and interpretive studies on history and political science. His work also included a re-evaluation of the founding fathers of America, as he believed their motives were influenced more so by economic as opposed to philosophical principles. Beards best seller, written with his wife was The Rise of The American Civilization (1927), which had a great influence on American Historians3. Nevertheless, he was unable to secure his highly esteemed position in the world. As a political liberal, he severely opposed of America entering WWII, however this stance was what lead to the destruction of his career for he placed much blame on Franklin Delano Roosevelt as opposed to Japan and Germany.4 This account demonstrates that a person is made either famous or infamous due to their ideas, execution of such ideas into concrete physical actions, consequences/influences directly caused by such actions which were fueled by those ideas, which were inspired by either the individual or the individuals perception of the quality of life of the society on a local or global scale. Individuals are the quintessence of all that is History!

Ellen Nore, Charles A. Beard: An Intellectual Biography (1983). Burris, Charles (2007-08-01) Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal: An Annotated Bibliographic Guide, LewRockwell.com
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