112 THE PUBLIC INTEREST / WINTER 2005 make. Historians worthy of the name have an ability to live imaginatively in the past as fully as they do in the present, ,In doing so they are chameleon-like, but not for the purpose of camouflage and deceit. Only by such ab- straction can they become knowing insiders in worlds that no longer exist. In this regard, historians are people with dual or multiple citizenship, only their second and third countries are past civilizations and distant ages. Who needs history? The historian's natural enemy is people who know, and want only to know, their own immediate culture, which they accept as a supreme measure of humankind. It is the civic duty of historians to remind their fellow citizens that they are neither the first nor necessarily the most interesting people to have walked the earth, and that na- tions that lead their lives as if they were have often suf- fered terrible consequences. Today, the distant past is a neglected vital resource. History. fills comparatively fewer shelves in local book- storęs and libraries, and the history that is most promi- nent there is about familiar subjects within our contempo- rary culture. Of the 16 books on the mid June 2004, New York Times nonfiction best-seller list, only two were his- tory, both well-worn American (Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton and Cokie Roberts' Founding Mothers), while Dan Gordon's record-breaking misty fiction, The Da Vinci Code, led all categories of adult reading by wide margins. History majors in American colleges and universities over- whelmingly show a similar sensibility. Over the last three years only 20 percent of history majors at Harvard Uni- versity enrolled in a field-specific tutorial in premodern history (ancient, medieval, or early modern history). For the other 80 percent, the world began in the more com- fortable nineteenth century. A major reason for such provinciality is the pervasive belief that the past is a benighted world of superstition and prejudice, or, less threateniịng, a world of fantasy and romance, in either case no proper guide for an emanci- pated modern age. "Bunk" was Henry Ford's famous word
112 THE PUBLIC INTEREST / WINTER 2005 make. Historians worthy of the name have an ability to live imaginatively in the past as fully as they do in the present, ,In doing so they are chameleon-like, but not for the purpose of camouflage and deceit. Only by such ab- straction can they become knowing insiders in worlds that no longer exist. In this regard, historians are people with dual or multiple citizenship, only their second and third countries are past civilizations and distant ages. Who needs history? The historian's natural enemy is people who know, and want only to know, their own immediate culture, which they accept as a supreme measure of humankind. It is the civic duty of historians to remind their fellow citizens that they are neither the first nor necessarily the most interesting people to have walked the earth, and that na- tions that lead their lives as if they were have often suf- fered terrible consequences. Today, the distant past is a neglected vital resource. History. fills comparatively fewer shelves in local book- storęs and libraries, and the history that is most promi- nent there is about familiar subjects within our contempo- rary culture. Of the 16 books on the mid June 2004, New York Times nonfiction best-seller list, only two were his- tory, both well-worn American (Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton and Cokie Roberts' Founding Mothers), while Dan Gordon's record-breaking misty fiction, The Da Vinci Code, led all categories of adult reading by wide margins. History majors in American colleges and universities over- whelmingly show a similar sensibility. Over the last three years only 20 percent of history majors at Harvard Uni- versity enrolled in a field-specific tutorial in premodern history (ancient, medieval, or early modern history). For the other 80 percent, the world began in the more com- fortable nineteenth century. A major reason for such provinciality is the pervasive belief that the past is a benighted world of superstition and prejudice, or, less threateniịng, a world of fantasy and romance, in either case no proper guide for an emanci- pated modern age. "Bunk" was Henry Ford's famous word
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Write about the author’s argument in his piece? If there is one. Discuss the specific idea that the author is trying to get through the reader. What is the author trying to convince you through his writing? IF the article just mentions a lot of information but is not strongly trying to make a specific point, then there is no argument. Summarize the READING and include 8 citations and why they support the person’s argument. PLEASE DON’T REJECT THE QUESTION LET SOMEONE ELSE ANSWER!!!
![112
THE PUBLIC INTEREST / WINTER 2005
make. Historians worthy of the name have an ability to
live imaginatively in the past as fully as they do in the
present, „In doing so they are chameleon-like, but not for
the purpose of camouflage and deceit. Only by such ab-
straction can they become knowing insiders in worlds that
no longer exist. In this regard, historians are people with
dual or multiple citizenship, only their second and third
countries are past civilizations and distant ages.
Who needs history?
The historian's natural enemy is people who know, and
want only to know, their own immediate culture, which
they accept as a supreme measure of humankind. It is the
civic duty of historians to remind their fellow citizens
that they are neither the first nor necessarily the most
interesting people to have wałked the earth, and that na-
tions that lead their lives as if they were have often suf-
fered terrible consequences.
Today, the distant past is a neglected vital resource.
History,.fills comparatively fewer shelves in local book-
storęs! and libraries, and the history that is most promi-
nent there is about familiar subjects within our contempo-
rary culture. Of the 16 books on the mid June 2004, New
York Times nonfiction best-seller list, only two were his-
tory, both well-worn American (Ron Chernow's Alexander
Hamilton and Cokie Roberts' Founding Mothers), while
Dan Gordon's record-breaking misty fiction, The Da Vinci
Code, led all categories of adult reading by wide margins.
History majors in American colleges and universities over-
whelmingly show a similar sensibility. Over the last three
years only 20 percent of history majors at Harvard Uni-
versity enrolled in a field-specific tutorial in premodern
history (ancient, medieval, or early modern history). For
the other 80 percent, the world began in the more com-
fortable nineteenth century.
A major reason for such provinciality is the pervasive
belief that the past is a benighted world of superstition
and préjudice, or, less threatening, a world of fantasy and
romance, in either case no proper guide for an emanci-
pated modern age. "Bunk" was Henry Ford's famous word](/v2/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.bartleby.com%2Fqna-images%2Fquestion%2F72072a7e-cb22-4e0a-926e-24ea3c0f3f80%2Fa31792fb-247f-4f42-99c7-a8dd4f8ffcca%2F52naxun_processed.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
Transcribed Image Text:112
THE PUBLIC INTEREST / WINTER 2005
make. Historians worthy of the name have an ability to
live imaginatively in the past as fully as they do in the
present, „In doing so they are chameleon-like, but not for
the purpose of camouflage and deceit. Only by such ab-
straction can they become knowing insiders in worlds that
no longer exist. In this regard, historians are people with
dual or multiple citizenship, only their second and third
countries are past civilizations and distant ages.
Who needs history?
The historian's natural enemy is people who know, and
want only to know, their own immediate culture, which
they accept as a supreme measure of humankind. It is the
civic duty of historians to remind their fellow citizens
that they are neither the first nor necessarily the most
interesting people to have wałked the earth, and that na-
tions that lead their lives as if they were have often suf-
fered terrible consequences.
Today, the distant past is a neglected vital resource.
History,.fills comparatively fewer shelves in local book-
storęs! and libraries, and the history that is most promi-
nent there is about familiar subjects within our contempo-
rary culture. Of the 16 books on the mid June 2004, New
York Times nonfiction best-seller list, only two were his-
tory, both well-worn American (Ron Chernow's Alexander
Hamilton and Cokie Roberts' Founding Mothers), while
Dan Gordon's record-breaking misty fiction, The Da Vinci
Code, led all categories of adult reading by wide margins.
History majors in American colleges and universities over-
whelmingly show a similar sensibility. Over the last three
years only 20 percent of history majors at Harvard Uni-
versity enrolled in a field-specific tutorial in premodern
history (ancient, medieval, or early modern history). For
the other 80 percent, the world began in the more com-
fortable nineteenth century.
A major reason for such provinciality is the pervasive
belief that the past is a benighted world of superstition
and préjudice, or, less threatening, a world of fantasy and
romance, in either case no proper guide for an emanci-
pated modern age. "Bunk" was Henry Ford's famous word
![A FEW years ago, I gave
Why we study Western Civ
STEVEN OZMENT
A
FEW years ago,
I
gave
;a· talk to an audience in a small German town based on a
book I had written about a prominent but dysfunctional
family that had lived there 450 years earlier. When asked
how I came upon and researched this story, I described a
three-year period in which I spent fully as many waking
hours reading and pondering the remains of my sixteenth-
century subjects as I did in dealing with my daily life in
present-day America. The next morning the headline over
my photograph in the local newspaper read: "This is a
Man From the Sixteenth Century." Although not such for
the local journalist, certainly for a historian there could
not have been a greater compliment!
History is every civilization's clinical record of human
nature and behavior, for which reason it has always been
cautionary and problem-solving for subsequent generations.
We study the past not to avoid repeating it but to learn
how previous generations survived the same mistakes we
111](/v2/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.bartleby.com%2Fqna-images%2Fquestion%2F72072a7e-cb22-4e0a-926e-24ea3c0f3f80%2Fa31792fb-247f-4f42-99c7-a8dd4f8ffcca%2Fxivess6_processed.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
Transcribed Image Text:A FEW years ago, I gave
Why we study Western Civ
STEVEN OZMENT
A
FEW years ago,
I
gave
;a· talk to an audience in a small German town based on a
book I had written about a prominent but dysfunctional
family that had lived there 450 years earlier. When asked
how I came upon and researched this story, I described a
three-year period in which I spent fully as many waking
hours reading and pondering the remains of my sixteenth-
century subjects as I did in dealing with my daily life in
present-day America. The next morning the headline over
my photograph in the local newspaper read: "This is a
Man From the Sixteenth Century." Although not such for
the local journalist, certainly for a historian there could
not have been a greater compliment!
History is every civilization's clinical record of human
nature and behavior, for which reason it has always been
cautionary and problem-solving for subsequent generations.
We study the past not to avoid repeating it but to learn
how previous generations survived the same mistakes we
111
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