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You're right, but history is not about knowing the names of the people. US Public Schools do us all a disservice by pretending that History is about memorizing

You're right, but history is not about knowing the names of the people. US Public Schools do us all a disservice by pretending that History is about memorizing names and dates. It's about remembering what they did and why. Hadrian is interesting not because he's Hadrian and he was once a Roman emperor. Hadrian is interesting because he commanded to be built an enormous military fortification. The history of that fortification includes his motivations and that of his generals. There may even be a relationship to the economic circumstances of the time, and there were likely some interesting political ramifications. That's what's interesting. Hadrian could just as well have been named Buttface and there would still be something to study there.

Retric 10y ago
Don't get me wrong, history is interesting, but so is chess. That does not make them important. Part of the trap is history is a great way for people with power to justify why they have power. However, in a wider context the history of disease, the history of technology, and the history of systems of thought do more to shape our world than the history of people. Yet, sanitation for example is generally ignored relative to the story's of people.
notahacker 10y ago
I'm a big fan of history, but - to extend the above analogy - reading various historians' speculation about Hadrian's motivations and those of his generals isn't particularly likely to give you any more knowledge applicable to every day life than reading speculation about the transfer strategies and tactical approaches of various modern football teams. You can use plenty of reasoning skills debating sport and deciding whether to believe press reports and fans' claims too! Despite the old cliche, you're not particularly likely to be condemned to repeat mistakes made by Hadrian from not learning that aspect of ancient history, on account of not being a Roman emperor.

Retric 10y ago

Don't get me wrong, history is interesting, but so is chess. That does not make them important. Part of the trap is history is a great way for people with power to justify why they have power. However, in a wider context the history of disease, the history of technology, and the history of systems of thought do more to shape our world than the history of people. Yet, sanitation for example is generally ignored relative to the story's of people.

notahacker 10y ago

I'm a big fan of history, but - to extend the above analogy - reading various historians' speculation about Hadrian's motivations and those of his generals isn't particularly likely to give you any more knowledge applicable to every day life than reading speculation about the transfer strategies and tactical approaches of various modern football teams. You can use plenty of reasoning skills debating sport and deciding whether to believe press reports and fans' claims too! Despite the old cliche, you're not particularly likely to be condemned to repeat mistakes made by Hadrian from not learning that aspect of ancient history, on account of not being a Roman emperor.