Comments on: History and Mythology http://insidetheasylum.blogsome.com/2005/07/06/history-and-mythology/ Politics, Philosophy, and BS Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:11:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: Dr. Strangelove http://insidetheasylum.blogsome.com/2005/07/06/history-and-mythology/#comment-55 Wed, 06 Jul 2005 23:26:59 +0100 http://insidetheasylum.blogsome.com/2005/07/06/history-and-mythology/#comment-55 It would not surprise me if Cheney did have that sort of view (a number of conservatives do). But the quotations you provided did not show that she has that view. In those quotations she claimed that American history <i>is</i> mostly positive, not that it should be made to look that way (or to be more exact she said it should look that way because it is that way). So if you want to pin this view on Cheney you should come up with something more incriminating. As for the view itself, that the study of history should serve as means of molding the psychology of students, I agree with you. The aim of high school history classes should be to give students some understanding of how the world got to be the way that it is. To achieve that aim history has to be taught "warts and all". It would not surprise me if Cheney did have that sort of view (a number of conservatives do). But the quotations you provided did not show that she has that view. In those quotations she claimed that American history is mostly positive, not that it should be made to look that way (or to be more exact she said it should look that way because it is that way).

So if you want to pin this view on Cheney you should come up with something more incriminating.

As for the view itself, that the study of history should serve as means of molding the psychology of students, I agree with you. The aim of high school history classes should be to give students some understanding of how the world got to be the way that it is. To achieve that aim history has to be taught "warts and all".

]]> by: James Oakes http://insidetheasylum.blogsome.com/2005/07/06/history-and-mythology/#comment-54 Wed, 06 Jul 2005 19:53:19 +0100 http://insidetheasylum.blogsome.com/2005/07/06/history-and-mythology/#comment-54 Good point. Cheney does not propose that we replace historical facts with claptrap. But my point was somewhat different: Cheney raised, and continues to raise, a psychological standard for what history should do for children, and that I don't like. I may also be biased by the fact that she lied through her teeth about the content of the National History Standards, but that's another story. Good point. Cheney does not propose that we replace historical facts with claptrap.

But my point was somewhat different: Cheney raised, and continues to raise, a psychological standard for what history should do for children, and that I don't like. I may also be biased by the fact that she lied through her teeth about the content of the National History Standards, but that's another story.

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