thus missing the point on both fronts. Life is not really a bowl of cherries, and kangaroos do have tails. We know this full well, and yet are willing to entertain their negations in one way or another--the former as metaphor, the latter as counterfactual hypothesis. These are common moves to make in trying to understand the world — indeed, characteristically philosophical moves — but they are very different in kind. Their similarities, differences, and conflicted interaction reveal something about
Counterfactualism in History A point made in the third of these essays, on the value of history, was the widespread human enjoyment of a good story. It was suggested that history played a part in satisfying this need. The consistent success of fiction based on a simple form of counterfactual history — Robert Harris's "Fatherland" is a good recent example — seems to indicate that this type of history is equally appealing. Sometimes known as "what if", or "alternative" history, or, in the title of
Introduction In this essay, I shall argue that there is no established truth-functional account of the meaning of indicative conditionals that is not subject to criticism but that the equivalence thesis - a truth-functional account of the meaning of indicative conditionals - is worth saving. Throughout the course of the essay, I will discuss two different attempts to defend truth-functionality: the principle ‘assert the stronger instead of the weaker’ and the supplemented equivalence thesis. The
Connected but Isolated Human Social technology, the product of human counterfactual thinking, has pervasive into a global phenomenon. People consider robots as servers in human companions, rather text than talk, and feel like a death if they leave their phone. People having ability to think causally make those imagining possibilities real. Causal understanding is the basic process and element in achieving possibilities. It helps people understand what should do and how should do to make imaginations
Appleby Book Review Telling The Truth About History I am writing a book review of Telling The Truth About History by Joyce Appleby, Lynn Hunt and Margaret Jacob. In this book, the authors’ talk about the increased skepticism and the position that relativism has lessen our ability to actually know and to write about the past. The book discusses the writing of history, and how people are struggling with the issues of what is “truth.” It also discusses the postmodernist movement and how future
therefore necessary to look at a few different sources to get better insight into the character of Arthur, the once and future king. GRAPH Arthurian literature can be divided into two basic categories, pseudo-histories and romances. The main difference between the two is that pseudo-histories such as Wace and much of the Celtic work, for example, Geoffrey of Monmouth show Arthur as a strong, central character, making him the dominant figure in the story. He is the one who goes on quests and battles
I’s trial and execution, it is clear that discovering historical truth and writing a satisfying history are two very separate, difficult tasks, and that finding among many accounts a single “best” story is complex, if not impossible. In order to compare the job each historian did in explaining what’s important about this conflict, the following criteria can be helpful for identifying a satisfying history. First, the historian must refer to primary sources, must describe how he selected his sources
curtain” Political structures in the Dominican Republic and Haiti have been closely related through their interconnected histories and dictatorships, though the... ... middle of paper ... ...unterpoint : Nation, State, and Race on Hispaniola. New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. <!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> Moya Pons, Frank. The Dominican Republic: a National History. New Rochelle, NY: Hispaniola Books, 1995. Rotberg, Robert. "Haiti's Past Mortgages Its Future." Foreign Affairs 67
for Teaching History ABSTRACT: Historical research was one of Jean-Paul Sartre's major concerns. Sartre's biographical studies and thought indicate that history is not only a field in which you gather facts, events, and processes, but it is a worthy challenge which includes a grave personal responsibility: my responsibility to the dead lives that preceded me. Sartre's writings suggest that accepting this responsibility can be a source of wisdom. Few historians, however, view history as transcending
AOL and Time Warner after both companies pledged to “protect consumer choice” both now and in the future. The AOL Time Warner merger was approved by the Federal Communications Commission on January 11, 2001, and is the biggest merger in corporate history, then estimated at a total market value of $350 billion. The merger created a ‘powerhouse’ of new and traditional media. AOL Time Warner has led the union of the media, entertainment, communications and Internet industries. Throughout the years the
various reasons has been proven worthy of our respect and interest. In music, the work of certain composers has been recognized as worth saving while that of others, even though perhaps popular in its own time, has been tossed aside to the dust-bin of history. The same is true of books; some books are more worthy of study than others because of the profundity and clarity with which they express the ideas that they contain. The study of the great books has been the backbone of good education for centuries
street, the loud, boisterous vendors screaming their slogans as pedestrians walk by. You really get to feel as if you are witnessing the events as they unfold. The first part of the book explained the story but then it promptly switched to brief histories of each of the main characters before introducing them to the main plot. Mistry gives you the diverse backgrounds of all the main characters, using his beautifully descriptive language to make even simple things brilliant. The story takes place in
more depth than a typical teen section. Illustrated with easy to follow graphic organizers, the section intended for parents is packed with numerous case histories, tables and charts, questionnaires, dialogues, and issues common to families with teenagers. Of particular importance are the case histories, dialogue, and issue boxes. The case histories are taken from real-life situations and present both problem and solution for a wide range of situations. These stories present the point of view of both
The arrival of new readers with different ideals and thereby changing tradition, can reject classical or "canonical" work and their "fame" will melt into nothingness. Most stories, histories and legends that emerge from oral heroic poetry are to herald the achievement of the powerful and wealthy so that their histories will not fade from the memories of the population. The stories of Beowolf are a clear example of this, as within these stories, (whether embellished or no), Beowolf's fame and legend
Superstitions Mysterious happenings are all around us today. I personally have done extensive studies in the histories of many of these superstitions, from the common to the absurd. Science tends to claim that all superstitions are pointless, and, in some cases, I agree, such as the fear of black cats, but the fact of the matter is that some superstitions come from a rich pre-Christian background. Many superstitions have been doubted since the rise of science, but it has been said that "In
place in Bronte’s narrative. There is no specific evidence of her reading these yet, "Bronte could easily have known two versions of the Cinderella tale: the Grimms’ version, and Charles Perrault’s Cendrillon, first published in France in 1697 in Histories ou Contes du Temps Passe. Bronte read both French and German and could have read both versions either in English or in their original publication languages" (Clarke 696). From the textual evidence it’s obvious she connects her story to both. Although
Etruscan kings and was only "... a little hill town." (Short Histories, p20) Lines 390 through 549 in The Aeneid deal with the crossing of the River Styx. This represents a great transition period in Rome. It symbolizes the founding of the Republic. The multitude of rushing and swarming people (Line 402) represents those that suffered the "internal turmoil" in the early stages of the Republic. (Short Histories, p21) When Aeneas mentions, "... and by what rule must
document of barbarism. Walter Benjamin, "Theses On The Philosophy Of History," 256. [1] Walter Benjamin in Illuminations reminds his readers that each history of civilization is tainted by barbarism since the prevailing civilization's history is dependent upon the suppression and eradication of alternative histories that might challenge the legitimacy of the existing civilization's rule. The problem with traditional history that asserts a stance of "objectivity," according to Benjamin, is that
truth, to history, because of the format, the popularity of the historical events they encircle, the relatable personal perspective, and the groundbreaking, attention-amassing approval they enjoy. While graphic novels such as Maus, Persepolis, Fun Home, and Barefoot Gen may differ greatly in content, the format of conveying a story of novel-length complexity through sequential art consolidates all these titles into one sub-genre. These graphic novels would effectively represent history in a classroom
about doing Viking age living history re-enactment is the questions that people ask: “why is your sword so light?” and of course, “where are your horns?” Repeatedly, these questions must be answered, but why do people have these images of past times anyway? Apart from Wagner’s fat lady singing opera with horns and a pointed bra, it is todays period films and television shows that lead people to believe these inaccuracies and ultimately provide a false lesson in history. Moreover, many of the storylines