Musings of a Mentor

Aug. 24, 2006

WEM chapter 7

This is my third attempt to type these notes up. I have lost them 2 times, once due to human error(mine) and once because we lost our connection just after I hit the post button!

The History of History

A historian isn't just supposed to tell you what happened, but to explain WHY it happened.

The metaphor on pg 164 is very helpful to me: Novelist --can make the woman any race, age, time, dress etc that she wants. Historian --can emphaisis any part of the scene she wants, but can't change the factual information of time, place, age race....

It is up to the historian to discern the facts from the myth.

The chart on page 166 is a very helpful visual picture of how the historian's point of view or philosophy affected the way they recorded their 'facts'.

The Greeks defined the border between myth and fact.

Medieval historians saw interlinked stories decreed by God.

Linear time was reinforced in the Renaissance with the idea of becoming and man's mind providing the highest peak.

Enlightenment scholars thought man had to use reason based on the physical senses with the mind being the main 'enlightener'. Freedom to find the truth. No miracles just unexplained science.

Germans of the Positivism period defined secondary and primary sources. History coming about because of physical fctors was stressed.

Progress-ism, this one really shifted a light bulb on for me.... in Augustine's world we were descending from perfection, in the world of a progressive we were ascending to perfection......this would make a huge difference in how a historian would record events.

History of the poor or Multiculturalism is the study of previously ignored people. Historians had to go to primary sources never used before like tax records, inventories, ads, wage stubs.....All histoy is individual, coherence flattens the meaning.

Romantics saw man boosted by gusts of imagination and creativity (by a divine being, spiritual world)... not by reason alone. Herder organized history around Nationalism. It was a short step from loving your nation to demanding matery of 'lesser' nations.

It is all relative anyway, in Relativism. We can't know today what we will know tomorrow. No absolute truth, everyone's story is worthy. Even the researcher himself can't be trusted. All national history is only telling one point of view or is only true for some of the people of that nation.

The Skeptical historian rejected the power of reason to come to any conclusions about human existence. It produced both preverse history and new and complex scholarships in history.

In Postmodernism the linear idea of time is again thrown out the window. No simple conclusions are offered, no truths, no pronouncements about man or history. Mostly 'micro-histories'.

It worries me that Western's think individuality is the highest pinnacle to be reached. I personally believe it is better to define of oneself as a part of a community BEFORE figuring out who I am as an individual. This idea that when we are all complete individuals history will end is very disturbing to me.

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Comments

Aug. 25, 2006 - A little hint...

Posted by mamma1420

Sandie,
Even if you lose the connection you can hit the BACK button on your browser and what you typed will (98% of the time) still be there. I learned this the hard way too.

I know you've suggested Science in Creation Week but I can't find anyplace to "view" it. Do you have a way? It's not at any of the 252 libraries in my library system either. If not, I'll just see about buying it, it wouldn't hurt to have it anyways, especially with "your" glowing recommendation.

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Aug. 25, 2006 - Did you start feeling "sad" after reading this chapter?

Posted by mamma1420

I did, not only because of the state of our world, but because this chapter made me feel even more inadequate than before. I was paralyzed when it came to writing notes. My notebook is a mess and I just got frustrated. I'm still going to do the How-To's. I have a lot of prayer going on right now!

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Aug. 25, 2006 - not exactly sad....

Posted by

but I did feel frustration in many ways.

However, a few things clicked for me that hadn't before. I have read a lot of history on my own and with the kids over the years, however it always puzzled me how different authors related the same events. I would get very frustrated and want to know "what really happened".

While reading this chapter a big light went on and I kind of went "oh, duh" because I hadn't really thought about the author's point of view. I was always focused on what they were writing about not the approach (or their school of thought) they were taking to it.

I am sad about most postmodern scholarship and the whole 'individuality rules' stage we are in now. I think that is why I stick to historical fiction over history textbooks. With novels and fiction I know where I stand from the start.

Your notebook may be a mess, but at least you are keeping one! You are doing something very positive and in the right direction of self -education! I often feel like my real education didn't begin until I started homeschooling. You continue to remind me of myself all those very many years ago :) You and your family are still in our prayers.

PS Remember this is at least the third time I have read this book all the way through. This is the first time I have really kept notes other than underlines in my book.

Edited by KyMentor on Aug. 24, 2006 at 9:40 PM

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Aug. 25, 2006 - Thank you

Posted by LaMereAcademy

for those two suggestions, I went to Barnes and Noble yesterday and bought Mandy and Mitch and Amy also...they didn't have Whangdoodles...but I've ordered that from Amazon.
I think I have a pretty good list together for her for her 5th grade year and by next year we'll bring the difficulty up a bit.
Blessings!
~Becky

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Aug. 27, 2006 - Thank you for your comments on my blog!

Posted by tiredmom

I really, really appreciate it when other moms who have walked or are walking the walk chime in with their thoughts. There is a homeschool football league in my area that also has cheerleading that I thought I would seriously look into. It is quite a drive so I hadn't considered it before, but I'd rather drive a bit than send my sweet daughter to a public school! I'll also look into Y activities and recreational activities as you suggested and hopefully she'll find something that will satisfy her social cravings!

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I hope my blog inspires dreamers to dream big and leaves wisdom seekers a little wiser. :)