Do you know your history ?

[TwoSeven]

I was in a management class today and we were being tought about the history of management. Fairly basic stuff.

The tutor started off by asking if anyone had heard of copernicus (as in nicolas). A couple of people put up their hands (inc. me).

He was the one that said the earth went round the sun. The statement started the renaissance period - only one person besides myself knew the answer). The renaissance period was partly about using science to study things, rather than relying on what the church said.

He also mentioned a chap called George Santayana who said something along the lines of "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it".

For the next questions, no-one knew anything at all.

Then people were asked if they knew what started the industrial revoluton (i've posted on it here before) - the weaving frame in the early 1800s was the answer. The next question was what preceeded it and craftsmanship was the answer to that.

Following this, a question was posed about what happened in the late 1890s - I think about here the tutor gave up asking history questions as the next questions asked was - has anyone been tought history at school. Only me and the chap that knew about the copernicus question put their hand up. There are about 60 students in the class.

Now I could understand the asian students not knowing much about western history, but Kiwi students not knowing was shameful.

How many people here know can honestly say they know about the industrial revolution or any other part of modern history ?

[oldfart]

George Santayana who said something along the lines of "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it".

Answered your own puzzlement really. Most people do seem to find history irrelevent / boring & continue to folow the leemings that proceeded them

[Ixion]

Know the odd bit or two. (I'm a communist, I'm told, so I'd have to) .

I'd argue that the water loom was a potentiator in the "Industrial Revolution" (begs definition that), what really drove events was the roll on from the Agricultural Revolution. Less well known , more important. No Coke of Norfolk, and Arkwright would find few buyers for his power loom.

Twas the Agricultural Revolution , not the Industrial Revolution that created the proletariat.

[sels1]

How many people here know can honestly say they know about the industrial revolution or any other part of modern history ?

Probably more than you think, as it has been part of the cirriculum. However remembering it in any detail would be more of a problem!

[ZorsT]

How many people here know can honestly say they know about the industrial revolution

well, i was going to post that the industrial revolution started because people wanted to make things cheaper...

[Hitcher]

continue to folow the leemings that proceeded them

Or the Normans, as in the Harvey Normans (Noel Leemings... Never mind). And I think you meant preceded.

[stevedee]

Or where the word saboteur really came from eh? Good ol looms, who would have thought?

spd:-)

[oldfart]

Or the Normans, as in the Harvey Normans (Noel Leemings... Never mind). And I think you meant preceded.

I stand, (well, actually, I'm seated), corrected thank you kind sir.

[MikeL]

History is still taught in secondary schools, first as part of Social Studies in Years 9 and 10 (compulsory curriculum), then as an option in subsequent years - where it has to compete with such things as Media Studies and other trendy subjects. In an effort to make it more "relevant", some time ago the whole approach was changed. Now the emphasis is on interpretation of documents and original sources, and thematic studies (e.g. "conflict", "revolution"...). Most of it is very recent history (19th/20th century) and of course a large chunk of the curriculum is taken up with N.Z. history. It is very unlikely that a student who has taken history for 3 years at senior level would emerge with any in-depth knowledge of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Enlightenment or the Napoleonic Wars. As for Ancient History, forget it. You have to do Classical Studies to find out about the Greeks and Romans.

[Motu]

We were taught a bit of history in primary school,and I seem to remember it was mainly English history,not much of our own.We learnt about people like Jethro Tull,who I rediscovered as a teenager.In secondary school we had no history lessons at all,so from the age of 12 all I know about history is what I've learnt off my own bat....so very selective,being whatever I'm interested in at the time.Being interested in thing mechanical the Industrial Revolution has seen me delving into books,again,selective.

[Hitcher]

In the shuffling madness, indeed.

[Brian d marge]

The purpose of an education ( my oponion) ,,is to allow the person to move freely around society.
So dependent upon which society you are moving around in, tends to dictate the level and range of stuff you need to know..
The works of Byron aint worth a hill of beans when you are eating lunch with the head hunters of Bonga Bonga Land
On saying that One should at least have a grasp of History/social studies/whatever as you will need to draw upon this when conversing with others
Helps in avoiding those little social fopars ,,, such as expressing delight at the french, winning the fission contract at the local greenpeace meeting

Its not up to the schools to give the education ,( though they can introduce the ideas and show how interesting the topic can be ,,,lot of good stuff out there!) its up to the person who wants to improve their understanding , who will seek out ,,,thats the mark of a good character....

Reading is a good way to start .....lot of good stuff in them thar bok thinghys

Stephen

WHo failed miserably at school and had to relearn almost everything ...( my excuse .. I was 15 and bikes and women suddenly became interesting,,,,what chance had the french revolution ....mind you there was this french lass , who I had a turn or 2 with.....)

[Motu]

In the shuffling madness, indeed.

Runs the all time loser
headlong to his death
he feels the pistons scraping
steam breaking on his brow
the Amal's are jammed wide open
no way to slow down.

[Oscar]

Runs the all time loser
headlong to his death
he feels the pistons scraping
steam breaking on his brow
the Amal's are jammed wide open
no way to slow down.

You auld hippie, you...

[vifferman]

You auld hippie, you...

Not necessarily - I love that song too, and I never weren't no hippy!