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> Modern education is very careful to remove any trace of unorthodox viewpoints from its pantheon of scholars. It's not just modern education/history. It's sai
by zombieprocesses 9y ago
> Modern education is very careful to remove any trace of unorthodox viewpoints from its pantheon of scholars.
It's not just modern education/history. It's said that history is written by people who either love or hate someone or some event. Also, history has innate biases of the writer. It's why we focus primarily on western history while arabs, indians, chinese, etc have their own version of history. All history throughout history is peppered with half truths and embellishments or sometimes outright propaganda.
> I never knew Newton was a staunch Arian before today, much like how I never knew that Pythagoras was a strict vegetarian, or that Socrates had a hatred of democracy
Or how columbus was an absolute genocidal butcher along with being a great discoverer. Or how genghis khan and the mongols were extremely cosmopolitan/egalitarian/merciful as well as been brutal conquerors. Or how the soviet union was at the forefront of the workers, lgbt, women's rights movement while being a horrific totalitarian nightmare. Or how Mao united a divided and brutalized china and freed china from european colonization while also starving tens of millions of chinese.
Depending on where you grow up and what history you are taught, you'll only see a particular snapshot. It's only when you make the effort yourself that you get to see the larger picture rather than the one framed by others.
- oreo81 9y agoEverything you claim about history is also subject to half truths as well.
- tboyd47 9y agoI was trying to focus more on the quirky ones than the tragic ones, but yeah, you're right too.
- vorg 9y ago> Newton, Pythagoras, Socrates, columbus, genghis khan, soviet union, Mao Not sure why you didn't add some example pertaining to the U.S. such as: "Or how the United States promotes freedom of expression while locking up over 1% of its adult population."
- jdtang13 9y ago> the soviet union was at the forefront of the lgbt right's movement No way. Source? I am almost certain this is wrong.
- rystsov 9y agoRoaring 20s were pretty liberal in USSR too - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_history_in_Russia#LGBT_History_after_the_October_Revolution:_1917%E2%80%931933 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_history_in_Russia#LGBT_Hi...