Curious Mammal

"To postulate individual genius as the creative force in History is characteristic of the primitive stages of human consciousness." - E. Carr Imagine for a moment a person, male or female, born outside of society, completely void of any interaction with the world as we know it. Not simply is this person living on the fringes of our world, like Mowgli from The Jungle Book or Tarzan of the Apes, but rather they have lived their life completely separated from anything or anyone: alone. Can you see this person? What does he or she look like? What clothes are they wearing? Do they have any clothes? What language do they speak? Where would they have been exposed to it? What beliefs or thoughts do they have? Where would they have learned them? In such a predicament, which is obviously impossible in reality, this person would be unrecognizable. Void of all the things that make up what we all are, our imaginary friend would be a blank slate. They would have nothing to draw u...

History of Historians will focus on how history, as it has been written, has changed over time, through those who have pursued the subject. This will be a periodical blog that w ill showcase one historian and delve into their influence on His tory. I'll start this series, appropriately, with Herodotus. He is often described as "the father of History". Born around 480 b.c. Herodotus lived on the easter Aegean shore s. His main body of work is The Histories which chronicles an assortment of subjects, but focuses mainly on the Persian invasion of Greece and the subsequent events. Treaty writing and annalistic writing existed before Herodotus, but its main purpose was to prove to the gods the deeds that were being done for them. Herodotus stands apart from this tradition. He wasn't writing to the gods at all, but rather to posterity: "So that human achievements may not become forgotten in time, and great and marvelous deeds... may not be without their glory...

Generalizations in History will be a periodical blog about a specific generalization that can be made from studying History. The Revolution of Rising Expectations "The revolution of rising expectations, a term first used to describe Asia’s awakening in the early 1950s, is the single most powerful force yet unleashed for social development. It marks a stage in which individual members of society not only venture to dream or hope or work for higher levels of accomplishment, but in which those aspirations have coalesced into a conviction and expectation that they will achieve, possess and enjoy more than their parents or they themselves have in the past." -Garry Jacobs As explained so succinctly above, one of the most reliable generalizations in History is the idea of a revolution of rising expectations. It sounds like an exciting call to arms. Simply stated this g...

This is a great conversation dealing with the historical significance of Barack Obama getting elected, the prospects of his term, and the impression he has made on these people. The guests are Alan Brinkley, Michael Beschloss and David Remnick. Enjoy.

Reaction The one aspect of our Government is that it serves as a reactive body that listens to the people, in theory. Sometimes this has failed to occur. Sometimes it can't happen quick enough. But this safety valve on the pulse of America will kick into effect when the people decide it is time for something new. Barack Obama is sure to point this out in the first couple seconds of his acceptance speech here: Transition: A related aspect of this reaction is the transition of our leadership to a new President in these times of change. It is often overlooked and under appreciated, but we must realize the civility and peaceful nature of our government, in relation to the changing of the guard. This video illustrates this point perfectly: Our Government may not be perfect. It may not be responsive enough for some. It may, even, be too responsive to others. But one thing is for sure, our Government is the best that this world has to offer. And we should appreciate it f...

One of the most troubling problems any historian must face is that we are at a disadvantage when it comes to precious historical material. Let's save the argument whether social science is really a science for later. The goods, the loot, the tangible evidence in which historians so desperately need is in limited quantity. Let me illustrate this point. If our vast universe can be whittled down, let's assume this circle is it and within this circle is everything that has occurred in that said universe. Obviously, this circle would have to be quite large , much larger than the one on your screen, in fact you and your screen would be part of it. Nevermind. Now to get to where we humans can reasonably say we are, this has got to shrink a bit, or quite a lot. After all, not only have we not been around forever, but we definitely haven't seen it all. Which brings me to our next circle. This circle represents everything in the known universe that we, as humans, have observed...

Tony Horowitz does a fantastic job making the case that, not only is our national story wrong and misleading, but also vastly inadequate for any basic understanding of our American History. He fills in the gaps between Columbus and the Pilgrims and paints a vivid picture of the trials and errors of thousands who came to America in hopes of plunder and riches. Paralleling the history he writes about, Horowitz visits many of the places he researches and discovers along the way how myth has triumphed over fact, and how that may not be a bad thing in the end. Funniest tidbit ( author's valiant effort to make history funny ): Upon landing in Plymouth, the first Native American the Pilgrims met not only spoke English, but asked if they had brought any beer.   Overall: Horowitz's matter of fact tone and personal hardship trying to experience the traditions of Pilgrim Enthusiasts and Viking Actors make up for the lack of in-depth historical research. Overall Grade: B+