The early historians were making an honest attempt to leave a true record of events for the ones who would come in the future. Although bias occurred, for the most part, true and faithful recording of events was the goal of the writer. In fact, the greatest truthful account of history ever written is found in the original Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Testament, and yet, both have been rejected as historical, even when new revelations and archaeological discoveries prove that it is true.
As we take a closer look at how historical writings are presented to us from the ancient writers, we observe that honesty and integrity were very important to the majority of writers. The Scriptures of the Hebrews are based on historical narratives and events, and they were admonished by God to remember and preserve the teachings. Ever since Moses collected and wrote the scriptures of the Hebrews, these books have been the guiding force in the lives of many for thousands of years, and never questioned until about the time of Voltaire (A.D. 1694-1778), whose philosophy entailed the retention of God as the "Creator" only, and nothing more. This view, which is based on man using reason and later became relativistic, has filtered down to society today with the result that we have a society which embraces a worldview which does not find its foundation in God, but in man.
Mankind has always sought for ways to free himself from the authority of God. The advent of enlightened thinking brought with it philosophers encouraged removal of all divine acknowledgement from history. They encouraged society to focus on what can be proven with cold hard facts allowing for no partiality of any kind. Personal prejudice and objectivity were f...
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...d societies. We have based so much of our current laws on Judaic and Roman law. If we change it now, what will happen later on? The ones who want to rewrite things are the ones with the most to hide, and who would benefit with a prettier picture of events. We must know the truth and fearlessly present it to the world, even if it is unpopular. Sometimes the truth is ugly and undesirable, but that should galvanize us to take action that will prevent such evil happening again. Re-writing and revising history without a Godly perspective and an honest approach leaves us like a ship without an anchor. Right now some are seeing the danger of dishonest historical accounts, because who profits from this? Perhaps a day will dawn when man will see the error of post modern thinking and realize that it serves only the liar.
Works Cited
“Wag the Dog” (IMDB, 1997)
Religion has been a controversial topic among philosophers and in this paper I am focusing
The book begins with an explanation of the purpose of historians. This information guides the reader into the next section, which is a simple overview of historiography. Gilderhus begins referencing common historians at this part of the book. A general knowledge of history in general is needed to comprehend this writing, though Gilderhus does provide brief explanations about the men on which he writes. I disagree with Gilderhus’ belief that the Hebrew accounts were too religious. I believe that the author makes an unfair assumption that parts of the Old Testament are not true, when in fact he has no basis for that claim. Much of the Hebrew writings are historically accurate and it does not make sense to believe only part of Old Testament and entirely disregard the other
Evans, C. Stephen. Critical Dialog in Philosophy of Religion. 1985. Downers Grove, IL. InterVarsity Press. Taken from Philosophy of Religion - Selected Readings, Fourth Edition. 2010. Oxford University Press, NY.
After reading “The Betrayal of History”, I realized that a lot of things that I was taught as a kid about the history of the U.S. was manipulated. This article talked in earnest about how the history of this great country has been reduced, exaggerated and transformed to suit certain interest groups. It amazes me that the publishing companies are only interested in making money rather than print true historical happenings
To study history, the facts and information must be passed down. To do so, historians record the information in textbooks and other nonfiction works. Whether or not the historians retell facts or construct their own version of history is debatable. History can be percieved as being “constructed” by the historians due to their bias, elimination of controversy, strive for entertainment, and neglect to update the information.
It’s truly fascinating how there are so many different approaches to history, how so many different types of minds and schools of thought can come together to study the events of the world’s past. There are so many ways to approach what happened in our past, and the groups of historians previously mentioned are only a fraction of the actual number of different ways of researching and thinking that exists as it pertains to the study of history. History is in some ways, always a mystery, and all historians, regardless of schooling, training or biases, seek to accomplish one goal: to understand what occurred before us and why, and to use that knowledge to learn how the world was shaped into the world we live in today.
The Hebrew Bible, better known as the Old Testament, is a collection of tomes that form part of the Biblical canon. Many scholars around the world do not think that a single author wrote the books contained in the Hebrew Bible, but rather that it represents centuries of stories frequently compiled after the events they describe . The stories were created with visions for the future, in order to allow audiences insight into communities and beliefs that were common thought during their era. The stories responded to the issues and problems of their time, but also addressed contemporary climates. While the stories themselves may not be true, they convey truth without needing literal readings. For example, the creation stories in Genesis, portray God as creating the universe, and while this is considered as not ‘literally true’; the stories communicate theological truths about mankind’s relationship with God through the eyes of Hebrew writers .
Slezak, P. "Gods of the State: Atheism, Enlightenment and Barbarity." Politics and Religion in the New Century: Philosophical Reflections (2009): 20. Web. 20 Oct. 2012.
History writing has evolved much over time with the contributions of many people. In the modern sense, it can be traced back to ancient Greece and China, where historians Herodotus and Sima Qian began keeping records of human existence. Although they were not literally the first people to write history, together they are named the first great historians of the Western world and the East because of their individual innovations and extensive work that has long affected history writing up until this day. There is much to debate when it comes to the greatness of these ancient historians, and although some believe they were both important and successful in what their works, The Histories and The Records of a Historian, accomplished, others believe the total opposite. Thomas R. Martin, the author of Herodotus and Sima Qian: The First Great Historians of Greece and China, argues that the two men were indeed vital to the progression of history writing over time. In my opinion, Herodotus and Sima Qian made huge advancements in history writing, and their titles as the first great historians of the Western world and the East are very fitting.
Since the beginning of time, religion has played one of the most significant roles within human existence and has been believed to be the source whereby our governing laws have been derived. However, dating back to as early as the 3rd to 6th century, Greek philosophers inclusive of Diagoras of Melos, Euhemerus, alongside the schools of Hindu philosophy, Samkhya and the Greek Cyrenaic School were all amongst some of the first who did not accept the idea of God (Friedrich, 1942, 25). In the 7th century and during the Early Middle Ages, undergoing the Golden Age, the idea of knowledge was emphasised amongst the Muslim world, translating and collaborating knowledge from all over the world, giving rise to a group of people known as the Dahriyya who were the ‘holders of materialistic opinions of vari...
“History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, 'What is history, but a fable agreed upon?” -Dan Brown.
“I have a point to argue, which is that mankind’s quest for the good has been a struggle between humanism, on the one hand, and religious conceptions of the world, on the other hand. The latter have proved resistant in the face of efforts by the former to free not just the imagination but the very life of man from the authority of religious world views, whether in the classical epoch, the Renaissance, or the eighteenth century and since. The durability of religious views might be variously explained, but one main historical reason is that most people are naturally superstitious
At first glance the words “Tradition” and “tradition” may appear to be identical concepts. Upon further study, examination, and contemplation, however, these two words differ in their precise definitions. “Tradition” carries more weight and meaning than the word “tradition.” Similarly, “Truth” and “truth” do not denote the exact same principle. In fact, philosophers and religious scholars have been debating the origins of the latter two doctrines since the Middle Ages. The major dispute associated with “Truth” with a capital T and “truth” with a lower-case “t” focuses around the field of study in which each is used. According to two prominent thinkers of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Truth is revealed through religion while truth can be reasoned with philosophy. Al-Ghazali and Thomas Aquinas both hold similar, basic views on the subjects of reason and faith that uncover absolute Truth. By way of relating to the practical and functional appeal of the common public, however, Aquinas provides the stronger position of thinking when compared to that of Al-Ghazali.
We are all taught essentially the same things in school. We learn of the presidents and what they did and when they did it. But we know, as adults, that we did not get all the facts or even a portion of the correct facts in regards to history. In the essay, "The Historian and His Facts," Edward Hallett Carr shares a bit of insight into the people who record history and write about it. We are given a deeper understanding of historians and just what it is they do and what they know. By doing so Carr gives the reader an opportunity to question much of the history that we are exposed to and taught. The historian Barbara Tuchman says that the most common question asked of historians by the public is whether history serves a purpose and whether we can learn from the lessons of history (Tuchman 608).
Because humanism developed as a general consensus between other belief systems, it is difficult to place limits and “rules” on what humanists believe; however, it is agreed upon that the humanist mentality is a midway point between medieval supernaturalism and modern scientific and critical mind-set (Renaissance Humanism). Because humanism places such a high emphasis on human nature, Gods are n...