-Caveat Lector- from: http://hail.icestorm.net/twistory/1-15-99.htm <A HREF="http://hail.icestorm.net/twistory/1-15-99.htm">1-15-99</A> ----- Nice graphix and embedded links at site. Om k ----- 1-15-99 20/20 Revision Our eyes sometimes play tricks on us, memories of last Thursday's lunch is often a guess, and we always hear the telephone ring when we don't feel like talking to anyone.Answers to questions, in the strict sense, are either true or false, but it should be recognized that 'truth' itself is subject to change and at any given moment the current 'truth' of something is only another way of describing a consensually accepted opinion.New information changes opinion and suddenly we see things in a different light.Keeping up with the 'truth' can get tricky... When Eric Blair (writing as George Orwell) penned his famous dystopian novel, 1984, he introduced us to the chilling slogan, "Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present controls the past."While Blair was directly inferring reference to the mid-20th century totalitarian practice of not simply killing an enemy, but destroying every record or reference to the individual, the slogan also accurately described methods employed in quondam times. >From the tactics of the Catholic Spanish Inquisition in destroying church and public documents of convicted heretics, back to the removal of Akhenaton's name and any trace of his religious reforms from monuments and statuary by Hor-em-heb and Ramses I in ancient Egypt, we may safely conclude that it is not uncommon for those in power to change ...history. The historian's task thus becomes extremely difficult in the face of the destruction of evidential data, and is further complicated when previous 'historians' get it wrong. At the beginning of this century a student of history would have been expected to be familiar with Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey, the Greek writings of Herodotus and Thucydides, Caesar's Gallic Wars, the Roman authors Livy, Tacitus, and Suetonius, the Old and New Testaments, and the epic Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbons.Maybe a further reading list of historical documents and treaties, a smattering of various sacred texts, and the works of Macaulay, Hume, and Toynbee would bring the student closer to solid grasp of written history.And then, spanning a 40 year period which comprised the middle of this century, we would expect a student to read Will and Ariel Durant's 11 volume The Story of Civilization (published between 1935 and 1975). Many other published histories, both scholarly and popular, have contributed to our better understanding of the past, but in recent years we have seen 'history' move closer to the level of a 'scientific discipline', and farther away from a tale well told.History has changed from a narrative reconstruction to an analytical assessment, and some would like to see it change even more. I initially became aware of the 'new' history with the release of Fernand Braudel's The Structure of Everyday Life (vol. 1 of his 3 vols. Civilization and Capitalism: 15th - 18th Century, New York: Harper & Row, 1981-1984).In much the same way as archaeology matured in the late 60s and early 70s with the utilization of dendrochronology with carbon-dating, implementing a multi-disciplinary approach by inviting the participation of botanists, linguists, and other professionals, and basically changing from the adventure-charged model suitable for a Howard Carter or Indiana Jones, to a near-science of demanding exactitude, Braudel was the first (in my humble opinion) to optimize the potential available for the 'new' history.His efforts are inspiring in their accomplishment and serve as a gauge which future histories will be measured against. Not content to simply give the standard dates of this death or that war, Braudel siezes his subject firmly and masterfully addresses the misery of common economic life, subsistence agriculture and diet, available technology, disease and its transmission, and on and on. [Note: For a small sampling of Braudel's details in The Structure of Everyday Life, click here .]Enabled with such thoroughness a student of history may understand the subject with causal explanations instead of simply repeating who, what, and when.The 'new' history provides a 'why'. Besides improved methodology historians have also benefited from such advances in technology as numerous dating techniques and genetic testing. The recalibration of radio-carbon dating pushed back many Bronze Age and Neolithic sites by hundreds and, in some cases, almost two thousand years. Our ability to test DNA cleared up the Romanov mystery, has recently provided insights into the sex lives of Washington, Jefferson, and last week was being threatened against President Clinton and the long-alleged relationship with young Danny Williams, a la the novel and film Primary Colors, but the DNA test proved Clinton was not the father. Besides improved methodology historians have also benefited from such advances in technology as numerous dating techniques and genetic testing. The recalibration of radio-carbon dating pushed back many Bronze Age and Neolithic sites by hundreds and, in some cases, almost two thousand years. Our ability to test DNA cleared up the Romanov mystery, has recently provided insights into the sex lives of Washington, Jefferson, and is currently being threatened against President Clinton and the long-alleged relationship with young Danny Williams, a la the novel and film Primary Colors. Though scholars, students, and the general readership have all welcomed the improvements made in the study and writing of history, it has become increasingly difficult to discern 'true' history from revisionist efforts.Many have acknowledged the debt history owes to the biased narrative and project that history will never, despite its discipline, wholly abandon its storied structure.History as the agenda-driven propaganda of a government, religion, culture, or a hemispheric grouping, thrives in our information age and shows no sign of slowing down.Taking advantage of our modern freedoms and resources, there are more 'histories' being published today than anyone could hope to keep up with. Pick a group and more than likely they have their own 'history' which differs from the histories of others.The well-known and disturbing movement to deny the World War II Holocaust and the killing of six million Jews (and other "enemies") by Nazi Germany and their allies has spread from silly skinheads to middle-aged neo-Nazis to the classrooms of colleges and universities. [Note: For more on the conflict between revisionist hate and personal freedoms, click here.]The difficulty arises when a group (or individual) exercises their right to Free Speech and presents a historicized opinion.Sometimes, more often of late, opinion is dressed in scholarly trappings and looks ...'true'. Creation 'scientists' preach against Darwin, Hare Krishnas get Chuck Heston to do a voice-over for a prime-time special, claims of a face on Mars, Atlantis in Japan, aliens in ancient Egypt, and many others are put in front of the public with pseudo-scholarly footnotes and bibliographies which appear genuine and impressive, but should only be classified as 'history' if one is discussing the phenomena of kookiness. It is a given that no history will ever be totally accurate and complete. America's past was recently given a rude awaking upon a closer examination of the huge gap between what is known and what is presented in the standard textbooks (for a quick test, clickhere).Truth and history will continue to change and adapt as we grow and discover more.Our task should be very simple -- keep up with the changes and avoid any history titles with "Hidden," "Secret," or similar words, and any titles which end with an exclamation mark.The 'truth' really is out there; one just has to know in what aisle of the bookstore to look. putting on my glasses, Rick ----- DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
