So why study history? Unlike physics or economics, history is not a means for making accurate predictions. We study history not to know the future but to widen our horizons, to understand that our present situation is neither natural nor inevitable, and that we consequently have many more possibilities before us than we imagine. For example, studyi

... See more

the disintegration of shared narratives may risk a loss of collective memory and identity, but it also opens the door to a broader and more equitable representation of diverse histories and experiences. In recognizing the historical context of centralized narratives, we understand that while the scale and impact of narrative fragmentation are novel... See more

Thucydides wouldn’t have put it in that way, but I suspect this is what he meant when he encouraged his readers to seek “knowledge of the past as an aid to the understanding of the future, which in the course of human things must resemble if it does not reflect it.” For without some sense of the past the future can be only loneliness: amnesia is a

... See more