Fifth Law: All history is relevant, but the history of technology is the most relevant.
Fifth Law: All history is relevant, but the history of technology is the most relevant.
History is not just the evolution of technology; it is the evolution of thought. By understanding the reality of the people who came before us, we can see why we look at the world the way we do, and what our contribution is toward further progress. We can pinpoint where we come in, so to speak, in the longer development of Civilization, and that gi
... See moreJames Redfield • The Celestine Prophecy
Narratives of inevitability have the effect of foreclosing thought and deliberation. If outcomes are inevitable, then there’s nothing to do but assimilate to this pre-determined future, to go along for the ride prepared for us whatever the consequences. As Lauren Collee has recently put it, “Techno-determinist futures … are used to habituate us to ... See more
L. M. Sacasas • Resistance Is Futile: The Myth of Tech Inevitability
“History as usually written is quite different from history as usually lived. The historian records the exceptional because it is interesting.” – Will Durant
Morgan Housel • Makes You Think
Use history to understand the present.
That’s a theoretical argument. An observational argument is that we know that the technological innovation of the Renaissance began by rediscovering history. And we know that the Founding Fathers cared deeply about history. In both cases, they stepped forward by drawing from the past. So if you’re a technologist looking to blaze a trail with a new
... See moreBalaji Srinivasan • The Network State: How To Start a New Country
it is the duty of the historian to show the differences between the immediate and long-range implications of technological developments.
thinkpolit.com • Technology and History: “Kranzberg’s Law”’
History, which contains literally everything that has happened to human civilization, is the data of the social sciences.
As The Scholar's Stage puts it: The problem with history is that it is too big. It is impossible to get a fine grained picture of every people and era on the planet. There is just too much of it.
TWO DIMENSIONS OF HISTORY:
The fir... See more
As The Scholar's Stage puts it: The problem with history is that it is too big. It is impossible to get a fine grained picture of every people and era on the planet. There is just too much of it.
TWO DIMENSIONS OF HISTORY:
The fir... See more