Margaret McMillan’s compelling speech on “using history to understand the present” introduces several major points that construct her idea on how History is used to understand the present. Her points revealed a different way as to how history can be used responsibly and irresponsibly. Furthermore, encompassing two ideas on the validity of history and how it is irresponsibly conveyed to the public.
One of McMillan’s first major points was the argument that “humanity deprives itself of a very important tool if we fail to understand history.” I feel as though this deprivation can cause major problems as demonstrated through our modern society. The better our ability to understand others, the more we open our imaginations to comprehend that “we may not always be right,” and that the future of humanity relies on an interconnected system that doesn’t stop at national borders. …show more content…
This is evident through World War II. Hitler’s ability to rally the people under his doctrine that they had been dehumanized in the treaty of Versailles sparked what we know now as the Holocaust and a major war effort to fulfill the desires that he was presenting to the people. Another major argument was this idea of how humanity is the product of its own “experiences and societies” and understanding our views and attitudes can help pinpoint where we came from. Therefore, her argument made me think about how what we are taught as children helps dictate how we think as young adults with topics such as politics and religion. Children are born to trust their parents because they are the ones that have raised them, and thus children like me attain the same views on politics, religion, or the complete opposite due to the child’s desire to rebel against the parent and attain his own
One of McMillan’s first major points was the argument that “humanity deprives itself of a very important tool if we fail to understand history.” I feel as though this deprivation can cause major problems as demonstrated through our modern society. The better our ability to understand others, the more we open our imaginations to comprehend that “we may not always be right,” and that the future of humanity relies on an interconnected system that doesn’t stop at national borders. …show more content…
This is evident through World War II. Hitler’s ability to rally the people under his doctrine that they had been dehumanized in the treaty of Versailles sparked what we know now as the Holocaust and a major war effort to fulfill the desires that he was presenting to the people. Another major argument was this idea of how humanity is the product of its own “experiences and societies” and understanding our views and attitudes can help pinpoint where we came from. Therefore, her argument made me think about how what we are taught as children helps dictate how we think as young adults with topics such as politics and religion. Children are born to trust their parents because they are the ones that have raised them, and thus children like me attain the same views on politics, religion, or the complete opposite due to the child’s desire to rebel against the parent and attain his own