HISTORY TOK. Memento – Deliberate Manipulation Introduction Imagine waking up one morning to...
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HISTORY TOK
HISTORY TOK. Memento – Deliberate Manipulation Introduction Imagine waking up one morning to discover that you have lost your memory. After a few minutes
Introduction Imagine waking up one morning to discover that you
have lost your memory. After a few minutes of blind panic, you
begin to examine the room you find yourself in. You discover a
scribbled note which says Meet George, corner of Lawrence and
Broadway, 9:30. You glance at the clock. It is 8:00am. Since you
dont want to tell anyone about your predicament, you give yourself
an hour and a half to work out who you are from the contents of
what is clearly your bedroom and make it to Lawrence and Broadway
to meet George whoever he is.
Slide 4
Lost Memory and History Parallel The thought of losing your
memory is a frightening one not only because memories are precious
in themselves, but also because your sense of who you are and where
you are going is bound up with what you have done. Without the
compass of memory to guide you, you would be adrift in a
meaningless ocean of time with no sense of identity or direction.
One interesting approach to thinking about history is to begin with
our own micro-histories. To a greater or lesser extent, we all try
to make sense of the past by weaving the various episodes of our
lives into a meaningful narrative.
Slide 5
A few interesting questions This raises a number of interesting
questions: COMP 1. Why should you care about your past? What
dangers are there in being obsessed with your past, and what
dangers are there in ignoring it? 2. How good is your memory, and
how reliable do you think it is as a guide to the past? 3. If you
do or were to keep a diary, what determines what you choose to
include and what you choose to omit? 4. Would you be more inclined
to trust an autobiography or a biography written about a person? 5.
To what extent do you think that people learn from their mistakes,
and to what extent do you think they keep making the same
mistakes?
Slide 6
What is history? In answering the question What is history?, we
might begin by saying that it is the study of the past. This may be
a reasonable first approximation, but the answer is in fact more
complicated than that. 3 important features of history 1. Evidence
2. Significance 3. Explaining the past
Slide 7
1. Evidence We can only know the past to the extent that we
have evidence. Evidence - facts or signs that show clearly that
something exists or is true It would be more accurate to say that
history is not so much the study of the past as of the present
traces of the past. In trying to reconstruct the past on the basis
of evidence, one of two problems may arise: 1. Too little evidence
2. Too much evidence
Slide 8
Lost Memory Activity COMP If you found yourself in the
situation from the previous slide, to what extent do you think you
would be able to reconstruct your identity by examining the objects
in your room? What problems would you experience in trying to do
this, and how similar are they to those facing a historian?
Slide 9
1. Evidence (too little) A real danger is a situation where we
misinterpret the evidence that exists, and jump to conclusions that
are not justified by it. Imagine an alien examining the following
photos Comp: What conclusion would the aliens draw?
Slide 10
1. Evidence (too little) The problem of lack of evidence is a
real one, and it is sometimes surprising to discover that our
knowledge claims about the past are less well justified than we
might have imagined. For example, our knowledge of the wars between
Persia and Greece in the 5 th century B.C.E. is based on a single,
quite unreliable source the Greek historian Herodotus.
Slide 11
1. Evidence (too much) When it comes to modern history, we are
usually faced with the opposite problem: too much evidence. What is
an example of too much evidence? 1. 9/11 2. Too Much Information
article 3. COMP How is finding truth in an avalanche of blogs and
tweets like a historians job? (Turn this in on a separate sheet of
paper)
Slide 12
What is history? In answering the question What is history?, we
might begin by saying that it is the study of the past. This may be
a reasonable first approximation, but the answer is in fact more
complicated than that. 3 important features of history 1. Evidence
2. Significance 3. Explaining the past
Slide 13
2. Significance This brings us to a second qualification we
need to make about the nature of history. History is not a record
of everything that happened in the past, but is concerned with only
the significant events in the past. Significance - the importance
of an event, action etc, especially because of the effects or
influence it will have in the future For example, while some events
of 9/11 are historically important, the fact that I had cereal for
breakfast the morning of the attack is not.
Slide 14
2. Significance (cont.) Using any criteria of your choice, rate
the historical significance of the following events on a scale of
1-10 a. The publication of Charles Darwins The Origin of Species in
1859. b. Your last TOK class. c. The assassination of Mahatma
Gandhi in 1948. d. The 1930 soccer World Cup Final which was won by
Uruguay. e. The birth of Bill Gates in 1955. f. Former US president
Bill Clintons affair with Monica Lewinsky. g. The terrorist attacks
on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001.
Slide 15
2. Significance (cont.) Once we start taking about significant
events we run into the problem of how to decide whether or not an
event is significant. While you might think that significance like
beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there are various criteria we
might use in order to decide whether or not an event is
historically significant. For example, you can look at how many
people are affected by the event, and the extent to which they are
affected. While a dramatic event, such as political assassination,
is likely to affect many people in a significant way, the same
cannot be said of a TOK class.
Slide 16
2. Significance (cont.) So is there any way in which a TOK
class might become at least a footnote in history? A couple
possibilities Your teacher makes a remark in a TOK class that
inspires you to enter politics, and you eventually become the
president. Years later when you write your memoirs, you observe:
During that fateful TOK class in October 2011, I first felt the
hand of destiny on me and knew that I must enter politics. A series
of nuclear wars devastates the planet. Many centuries must pass
before civilization re-establishes itself. As luck has it, one of
the few things that survive the war are your TOK notes. Future
historians pore over them and try to get an idea of what life was
like at the beginning of the 21 st century.
Slide 17
What is history? In answering the question What is history?, we
might begin by saying that it is the study of the past. This may be
a reasonable first approximation, but the answer is in fact more
complicated than that. 3 important features of history 1. Evidence
2. Significance 3. Explaining the past
Slide 18
History is not simply concerned with describing the past, but
also with explaining and understanding it. Why would we need to
understand the collapse of the Roman Empire The Russian Revolution
the Cold War the rise of Fascism. How is this different from
knowing facts about these events? Comp on separate sheet to turn
in: What is history?
Slide 19
Why study history? 1. History gives us a sense of identity 2.
History is a defense against propaganda. 3. History enriches our
understanding of human nature.
Slide 20
Why study history? Sense of Identity A country without history
is like a person without memory. We talked about waking up with no
sense of knowing who we are. What is true of an individual is also
true of a country. If a country does not know where it came from,
it cannot make sense of the present of future. If you are to have
informed opinions about current affairs, and your judgments about
other countries are to go beyond mere prejudice, then a knowledge
of history is indispensable. Identity the qualities and attitudes
that a person or group of people have, that make them different
from other people
Slide 21
Why study history? Sense of Identity French Identity Problem
Tariq Ramadan - Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies
Slide 22
Why study history? Sense of Identity COMP What should an
immigrant to a new country learn as part of the process of becoming
a member of that society? How important do you think it is for our
political leaders to have a good knowledge of history? Do you think
that some countries are more obsessed with their history than
others? What dangers, if any, are there in Ignoring the past Being
obsessed with the past
Slide 23
Why study history? 1. History gives us a sense of identity 2.
History is a defense against propaganda. 3. History enriches our
understanding of human nature.
Slide 24
Why study history? Defense against propaganda Propaganda -
information which is false or which emphasizes just one part of a
situation, used by a government or political group to make people
agree with them.
Slide 25
Why study history? Defense against propaganda First, lets look
at the propaganda you see every day.
Slide 26
Why study history? Defense against propaganda Next, lets review
Nazi propaganda. COMP: How does it relate to the propaganda you see
every day? What can we learn from this in TOK?
Slide 27
Why study history? Defense against propaganda Where can
propaganda be found in Chicago? Martin Luther King website Martin
Luther King website Chicago Police Propaganda and Homicide Rates
Chicago Police Propaganda and Homicide Rates
Slide 28
Why study history? Defense against propaganda Avatar
Propaganda???
Slide 29
Why study history? 1. History gives us a sense of identity 2.
History is a defense against propaganda. 3. History enriches our
understanding of human nature.
Slide 30
Why study history? Enriches our understanding of human nature
History shows us what human beings have thought and done in a wide
variety of circumstances. Subjects such as psychology, sociology,
and economics seek to explain things in terms of general
principles, history reminds us that human behavior can never be
fully explained in terms of neat and tidy models.
Slide 31
Why study history? Enriches our understanding of human nature
COMP For turn in on separate paper Read the following quote. From
your own study of history, to what extent do you think the
pessimistic assessment of human beings is justified? Are there any
grounds for taking a more optimistic view? One cannot avoid a
certain feeling of disgust, when one observes the actions of man
displayed on the great stage of the world. Wisdom is manifested by
individuals here and there; but the web of human history as a whole
appears to be woven from folly and childish vanity, often, too,
from puerile wickedness and love of destruction: with the result
that at the end one is puzzled to know what idea to form of our
species which prides itself to much on its advantages. Immanuel
Kant (1724-1804)
Slide 32
Why study history? Enriches our understanding of human nature
Its ok to question whether history should make us feel optimistic
of pessimistic. We should be careful, however, with the phrase
History shows when it is used by someone who it trying to prove
something. For example, it has been said that history shows that
war is inevitable, or that different races are unable to live
together in harmony. The problem with such beliefs is that they can
easily become self-realizing expectations If you think that
something cannot be changed, you wont even bother trying to change
it.
Slide 33
Why study history? Enriches our understanding of human nature
However, the historical record can sometimes be a source of hope
rather than despair; for it suggests that the future does not have
to be like the past, and that it is possible to change things. For
example The abolition of slavery The emancipation of women The
birth of the United Nations Such changes would never have come
about if people had seen themselves the victims of history.
Slide 34
How can the past be known? Exercise: a team of researchers
wants to study Senn to write a History of teenagers in 2013. As a
class, identify a public event that has occurred at Senn recently.
Answer the questions on the next slide:
Slide 35
How can the past be known? COMP: What were the most striking
characteristics of the event? What would you consider the 5 most
important events at the school in the last year? What do you
consider the 3 most important things students have gained from Senn
in your time here? One of the researchers asks you how he can gain
the best information about Senn culture and ambiance. What do you
recommend he see? Who is best qualified to write a history of Senn?
Why?
Slide 36
How can the past be known? One obvious problem with trying to
know the past is that it no longer exists. Sceptical extreme It is
abstractly possible that God created the universe 5 seconds ago
with memories, fossils and copies of yesterdays newspapers. Since
any evidence you give to the contrary (ruins, cave paintings, etc.)
might also have been created 5 seconds ago, it is impossible to
falsify this belief. However, it would be difficult to see why God
should engage in such an elaborate deception, so no sane person
would doubt the existence of the past.
Slide 37
How can the past be known? Opposite of skeptical extreme It
could be argued that, since the past no longer exists, it cannot be
changed and is therefore completely objective. The historian G.R.
Elton (1921-94) argued that: In a very real sense the study of
history is concerned with a subject matter more objective and
independent than that of the natural sciences. Just because
historical matter is in the past, is goneits objective reality is
guaranteed; it is beyond being altered for any purpose whatsoever.
COMP Compare Eltons claim that history is objective with Samuel
Butlers (1835-1902) wry comment: Though God cannot alter the past,
historians can. Which of these views do you think is closer to the
truth?
Slide 38
How can the past be known? While you would probably agree that
the past cannot be changed, when it comes to the question of
whether or not history is objective, we should make the distinction
between the past and our knowledge of the past. Eltons argument may
show that the past is objective, but it says nothing about our
knowledge of the past. Such knowledge is problematic because we can
know the past only by reconstructing is on the bases of evidence
that exists in the present. Since memory fallible, evidence
ambiguous, and prejudice common, we might have serious doubts about
the claim that historical knowledge is more objective than
scientific knowledge.
Slide 39
How can the past be known? Despite these doubts, objectivity
surely remains an important ideal in history. For if we abandon it,
we have no way of distinguishing between history on the one hand,
and propaganda and fiction on the other. The real question is to
what extent a trained historian can approach the ideal of
objectivity, and this requires that we look in more detail at the
nature of historical evidence.
Slide 40
How can the past be known? Primary Sources Historians commonly
distinguish between primary sources and secondary sources. Primary
source one that is written by someone who was there at the time.
Secondary source a second-hand account of what happened. Examples:
Julius Caesars The Conquest of Gaul is a primary source because it
is Caesars own account of the wars he fought. By contrast, Edward
Gibbons The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is a secondary
source because it is a much later reconstruction of the fate of the
Roman Empire.
Slide 41
How can the past be known? Primary Sources Some accounts of
what happened in the past are based only on secondary sources. For
example, if you write an essay about the causes of the French
Revolution, your bibliography may list a range of books but no
original documents. But it is obvious that if such sources are to
have any authority they must be ultimately grounded in primary
sources the first-hand accounts of individuals who witnessed the
events in question. For this reason, primary sources are often
described as the bedrock of history.
Slide 42
How can the past be known? Primary Sources You might wonder how
firm the bedrock of history is. There are reasons for thinking that
primary sources cannot be taken at face value and that they are, in
a sense, already contaminated. Here are some problems Fallible
Eye-witness Social Bias Deliberate Manipulation
Slide 43
How can the past be known? Problems with Primary Sources
Fallible Eye-witness an eye witness who does not record the correct
account of an event due to perception, emotion, interests,
expectations, and cultural background. Imagine that several people
are witness to the same historical events. (like Senn changing its
reputation) We would probably end up with as many different
accounts as there are writers. Since no two individuals see things
in the same way, their perceptions are likely to be shaped by such
things as their interests, expectations, and cultural background.
While some events may be exaggerated, others may be played down or
completely ignored.
Slide 44
How can the past be known? Problems with Primary Sources Social
Bias reflecting the interests of one particular social group rather
than society as a whole, and therefore, providing a distorted
picture of things. For example, we tend to think that medieval
Europe was a very religious place, but this may simply reflect that
fact that the chroniclers of the time were mainly religious people
who considered it important to record everything related to
religion. The people with power control the pens and printing
presses, and primary sources have often reflected their interests
and activities at the expense of other social groups. We will never
know much about Greek slaves, feudal peasants, or Aztec warriors,
but it is at least worth being aware of the blank pages in
history.
Slide 45
How can the past be known? Problems with Primary Sources
Deliberate Manipulation When primary sources are purposefully
modified by governments and other interest groups to change the
facts of history. COMP on separate sheet for turn in Read the
statement by George Orwell in the next slide. If the Nazis had won
the war, what kinds of lies would have made it into the history
books? What does Orwells statement tell you about the content in
history books?
Slide 46
How can the past be known? Problems with Primary Sources Up to
a fairly recent date, the major events recorded in the history
books probably happened. It is probably true that the battle of
Hastings was fought in 1066, that Columbus discovered America, that
Henry VIII had 6 wives, and so on. A certain degree of truthfulness
was possible so long as it was admitted that a fact may be true
even if you dont like it. Even as late as the last war it was
possible for the Encyclopedia Britannica, for instance, to compile
its articles on the various campaigns partly from German sources.
Some of the facts the casualty figures, for instance were regarded
as neutral and in substance accepted by everybody. NEXT SLIDE
Slide 47
How can the past be known? Problems with Primary Sources No
such thing would be possible now. A Nazi and a non-Nazi version of
the present war would have no resemblance to one another, and which
of them finally gets into the history books will be decided not be
evidential methods but on the battlefield During part of 1941 and
1942, when the Luftwaffe was busy in Russia, the German radio
regaled its home audiences with stories of devastating air raids on
London. Now, we are aware that those raids did not happen. But what
use would our knowledge be if the Germans conquered Britain For the
purposes of a future historian, did those ranks happen, or didnt
they? The answer is: If Hitler survives, they happened, and if he
falls they didnt happen.
Slide 48
How can the past be known? Problems with Primary Sources
Orwells point is that if the Nazis had won the war then the basic
facts would have been what the propaganda ministry said they were.
All kinds of lies would have made their way into the history books
and become truths. However, we are still the victims of a great
deal of spin and misinformation; but behind the propaganda fog one
hopes that it is still possible to discern at least an outline of
truth.
Slide 49
How can the past be known? Worth of Primary Sources Who wrote
it? What was their motive in writing it? How long after the event
was it written? Compare different primary sources to see how far
they agree with one another. For example, if Israeli and
Palestinian eye-witnesses agree on something, its probably true.
Look at documents of a legal and administrative nature which are
less likely to be biased than letters and diaries. The fact that
historians frequently disagree with one another should not blind us
to the truth that there are a vast number of basic historical facts
that everyone agrees about.
Slide 50
Summing Up Primary Sources
Slide 51
Howard Zinn Activity Answer the following two questions What do
you think should be a historians goal(s)? Why do you think people
should study history? Howard Zinn Introduction
Slide 52
Howard Zinn Activity I dont want to invent victories for
peoples movements. But to think that history-writing must aim
simply to recapitulate the failures that dominate the past is to
make historians collaborators in an endless cycle of defeat. If
history is to be creative, to anticipate a possible future without
denying the past, it should, I believe, emphasize new possibilities
by disclosing those hidden episodes of the past, when, even if in
brief flashes, people showed their ability to resist, to join
together, occasionally to win. I am supposing, or perhaps only
hoping, that our future may be found in the pasts fugitive moments
of compassion rather than in its solid centuries of warfare. That,
being as blunt as I can, is my approach to the history of the
United States. The reader may as well know this before going
on.
Slide 53
Howard Zinn Activity How would you paraphrase this historians
approach to United States history? What does he seem to value and
why? What does he seem to think the purpose and function of history
is? How does this approach seem similar to and different from how
you have studied history in school?