Re-Learning the Obvious
19th August 2021
Severian teaches us a little history.
Back in my teaching days, I had this whole bit on why we should study history. I’d ask the class “why do we study history?” and the inevitable response came: “To avoid making the mistakes of the past.” But we never really do that, do we? I’d ask them. For instance, think about the last time you tied one on. The next morning you wake up, head pounding, stomach churning, and you vow “I’ll never drink again!” That lasts until the next weekend, tops, doesn’t it?
And so on. Then I’d tell them the real reason we study history is to better understand (for lack of a better term) human systems. The Marxists had a point: Class conflict (again for lack of a better term) really does drive quite a bit of human affairs. That the Marxists quickly went off the rails with it isn’t surprising — you’ll find no one on earth more reality-averse than a Marxist, except a feminist — but they had a point for all that. Breaking any given historical situation down into self conscious groups of people pursuing their class objectives will very often get you at least in the ballpark.