Welcome back, crew!
I hope your break was restful and rejuvenating. As we embark on the last two weeks of our course together, we are going to step back and take stock of all the skills and knowledge we have gained up to this point. We will begin with an examination of the Pruitt-Igoe project of the 1950s in St. Louis. Our examination will look for causes as to why this spectacular social-architectural endeavor failed. Your job will be to catalog the events and determine the possible, most reasonable causes.
99percentinvisible
Then, we will look into the 15th century and explore the various societies around the globe during that time. You will take stock of the major characteristics of each society, its problems and conditions. Then, you will look into any possible interactions among societies. Finally, your job will be to determine the possible, most reasonable causes of the conditions of the 15th century.
What we are doing here is an exercise in Heuristics as applied to history. Heuristics is how we make sense of the world, its conditions and causes, from a limited point of view. From our study, we should begin to see the difficulty of historical reasoning and the methods historians employ to make up for those difficulties.
Bon Voyage!
Showing posts with label Logic of Nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Logic of Nature. Show all posts
Monday, January 09, 2012
Thursday, September 03, 2009
History and the Logic of Nature
There are different ways of defining "history", but the definition that I am using is the disciplined study of the ways of human being throughout time. This is admittedly an abstract definition, but it captures some of the complexities of world history. First, history is a detailed and disciplined investigation, not a casual examination. Second, the object of the study is certainly human beings, but more than that it is the ways human beings live and act and thrive. Thirdly, the object of history is not any given snap shot of humanity. Rather, it is the study of the extended actions of humans in time. In other words, the object of history is the process of human activity in order to discover the logic of their existence.
The logic of nature is discoverable from the study of history. It is a curious fact that from between 8000 and 5000 BCE civilizations began to emerge all around the world. While we may never discover why they all emerged around the same time, we can examine how they emerged. Another curious fact is that they all emerged relatively the same way. The consistency and regularity with which civilization emerged seems to have more to do with who we are as human beings, our nature, than any other factor. Therefore, a study of the rise of civilizations will lead to an understanding to the logic of nature, our nature.
The goal of history for our purposes is to discover as much as we can about this logic of nature and apply it to an understanding of our present conditions, particularly to our role in a now globalized world.
The logic of nature is discoverable from the study of history. It is a curious fact that from between 8000 and 5000 BCE civilizations began to emerge all around the world. While we may never discover why they all emerged around the same time, we can examine how they emerged. Another curious fact is that they all emerged relatively the same way. The consistency and regularity with which civilization emerged seems to have more to do with who we are as human beings, our nature, than any other factor. Therefore, a study of the rise of civilizations will lead to an understanding to the logic of nature, our nature.
The goal of history for our purposes is to discover as much as we can about this logic of nature and apply it to an understanding of our present conditions, particularly to our role in a now globalized world.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
The Paleolithic and Neolithic Revolutions; The Beginning of History
During the Paleolithic Period ("Old Stone Age") from 1 million years ago to 10,000 BCE, a slow revolution took place among the human the family (the designation "homo", as in homo sapiens). Small tools were created and used for basic hunting and gathering techniques, which allowed for greater social interaction and the beginning development of clan-like living. Fire too had been invented, which has as its greatest advantage the provision of shelter from the cold, the ability to keep wild animals away, and a technique by which to preserve and eat more food.
From 10,000 BCE to around 6,000 BCE the Neolithic Revolution ("New Stone Age")took place. Better weapons were created, agricultural techniques were refined, and migration began to turn into more settled living. We begin to see the creation of walls and tombs and temples. It is here in the Neolithic era that ingredients for civilization begin to emerge. With a more settled way of life, a rich culture begins to emerge, and from this culture comes the first beginnings of "history", which by technical definition begins with writing. While much of history can be investigated prior to the written word, it is from the written word that we have our best knowledge of the past.
What we should now consider is whether the development from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic Ages and into the period of true civilization can be understood according to a "logic of nature", or whether the entire course of events was made by chance? And if there is a logic of nature, what does this logic mean for us today?
From 10,000 BCE to around 6,000 BCE the Neolithic Revolution ("New Stone Age")took place. Better weapons were created, agricultural techniques were refined, and migration began to turn into more settled living. We begin to see the creation of walls and tombs and temples. It is here in the Neolithic era that ingredients for civilization begin to emerge. With a more settled way of life, a rich culture begins to emerge, and from this culture comes the first beginnings of "history", which by technical definition begins with writing. While much of history can be investigated prior to the written word, it is from the written word that we have our best knowledge of the past.
What we should now consider is whether the development from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic Ages and into the period of true civilization can be understood according to a "logic of nature", or whether the entire course of events was made by chance? And if there is a logic of nature, what does this logic mean for us today?
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