History At Our House » Why Most People Think Memorizing Historical Facts is Useless (and Why It Isn’t)
The writers of Calvin and Hobbes may be able to put a humorous spin on it, but the truth is that viewing historical knowledge as the intellectual equivalent of an appendix is a tragedy.
Why? Because the empowerment that one can derive from history is real, and it can only be derived from history. A mind equipped with proper historical knowledge understands how the world around it came to be (for better, and for worse), can see where civilization is headed, and more fully appreciates the man-made values that make life worth living. By contrast, a mind that is not equipped with the unique perspective that history can provide is stranded in a world shaped by forces it does not understand, moving in a direction it cannot predict, surrounded by values it cannot fully appreciate and defend.
This is why I'm starting to think when I go back to school it may be for history or political science rather than technology. This makes sense, since I'm going back for love of learning, not for a career.
