Every generation, none more than our own, suffers from a pernicious presentism-the arrogance that those now alive have created the most prosperous period in history. There is another-perhaps less recognized-value in studying history.
The Greek city-states’ coddling of the Macedonian king Philip II, the weak Western democracies’ reaction to the aggression of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s, and the indifference shown to the dangers of radical Islam by an affluent West in the 1990s make the point. For example, across the ages appeasing or ignoring enemies has rarely proven to be a prudent strategy. Still, with the proper caution, studying history can warn us of dangers ahead. Just as it is dangerous to be ignorant of past events, so too it is equally risky to assume that history across time and space will repeat itself in exactly the same fashion. We must be modest in our claims: studying history provides an invaluable guide-but only a guide-to current and future political, economic, military, and cultural challenges. More than two millennia later, the American social thinker George Santayana said much the same thing, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” But while knowledge of the past is a prerequisite to wisdom, it doesn’t give the historian a crystal ball. If they could learn from it and make better decisions, his efforts would not be in vain. Twenty-five hundred years ago, Thucydides, the great chronicler of the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta, and the man many call the “first historian” said that “…I have written my work, not…to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time.” Thucydides hoped that what he was writing would help future generations understand what transpired in his day. Script: Why study history? Ironically, this question is as old as history. Is it important to study history? Why do we need to know what’s come before us? Isn’t it enough to just “live in the moment?” Renowned historian Victor Davis Hanson explores these important questions. To make sure you see the new weekly video from Stossel TV, sign up here:. I’ll show you how the AMA acts like a doctor cartel. It’s a reason America has fewer doctors than any European country. “They restrict what kinds of people can provide medical services,” Yglesias tells me. But the AMA also makes it harder for people to become doctors, and lobbies for rules that reduce the number of doctors. “What would happen if you were in a clinical setting and somebody starts giving you this lecture about landowners?” Silly language is one thing. Instead of saying equality, say “equity.” Don’t say minority, say “historically marginalized.” “Can you imagine anyone actually doing this?” says journalist Matthew Yglesias. The AMA now tells doctors to use woke language. Yet the AMA, the biggest doctor’s association, is focused on telling doctors to use Marxist language. It’s one reason why health care costs so much. Totalitarianism: Can It Happen in America?Īmerica has a shortage of doctors.Victor Davis Hanson- Why Study History?.