"There's not a lot of optimism in history, it seems to me", ?

[mongers]

Just listening to a radio 4 podcast about the Greek and wider Euro crisis and at the very end the historians were asked if there were optomistic or not, the last word went to the guy who said "there's not a lot of optimism in history it seems to me"

Do you agree with him ?

I've just found his website and his post about the interview:

http://ww2history.com/blog/ww2-relevance/optimism-and-history/

[Viking]

going a bit hegelian here aren't we, optimism is a state of mind regarding the nature of the future, history is the study of the past. I don't see how optimism has anything to do with history unless you are a certain kind of german philosopher?

[mongers]

going a bit hegelian here aren't we, optimism is a state of mind regarding the nature of the future, history is the study of the past. I don't see how optimism has anything to do with history unless you are a certain kind of german philosopher?

So in your mind the present is an impermeable brick wall ?

[Viking]

going a bit hegelian here aren't we, optimism is a state of mind regarding the nature of the future, history is the study of the past. I don't see how optimism has anything to do with history unless you are a certain kind of german philosopher?

So in your mind the present is an impermeable brick wall ?

No, I don't think optimism and history have anything to do with each other, if they did I couldn't get out of bed in the morning NASA tries and fails to watch the big rocks floating around near earth. They are sufficiently bad at tracking these rocks that at any time we can choose to mention we are never more than a few hours away from the extinction of the human race.

History is collective human experience and as such should be a tool to achieve the ends we see as good rather than brooding about if we are in a golden age or not (unless we are talking about animation).

[The Brain]

There have been many optimists throughout history.

[Admiral Yi]

I disagree with him.  The one consistent trend throughout history has been progress and improvement.

[Neil]

I disagree with him.  The one consistent trend throughout history has been progress and improvement.

Well, there were the Dark Ages, and the First World War.

[Admiral Yi]

Well, there were the Dark Ages, and the First World War.

Do you know what a trend is Neil?

[Neil]

Well, there were the Dark Ages, and the First World War.

Do you know what a trend is Neil?

And then there's the modern era.  Progress ended in mid-December 1972.

[CountDeMoney]

I disagree with him.  The one consistent trend throughout history has been progress and improvement.

Agreed, but for some continents more than others.
There's a reason so many Europeans wear black and walk around sullen and jaded all the time.

[mongers]

I disagree with him.  The one consistent trend throughout history has been progress and improvement.

Agreed, but for some continents more than others.
There's a reason so many Europeans wear black and walk around sullen and jaded all the time.

Hang on, I though you were a bit of a goth in your youth, or is that another languishite ?

[Razgovory]

going a bit hegelian here aren't we, optimism is a state of mind regarding the nature of the future, history is the study of the past. I don't see how optimism has anything to do with history unless you are a certain kind of german philosopher?

So in your mind the present is an impermeable brick wall ?

Sure is.  I've never been able to get to the future.  When I think I have arrived it turns out to be the present again.  I've even had worse luck going to the past.

[Razgovory]

going a bit hegelian here aren't we, optimism is a state of mind regarding the nature of the future, history is the study of the past. I don't see how optimism has anything to do with history unless you are a certain kind of german philosopher?

So in your mind the present is an impermeable brick wall ?

No, I don't think optimism and history have anything to do with each other, if they did I couldn't get out of bed in the morning NASA tries and fails to watch the big rocks floating around near earth. They are sufficiently bad at tracking these rocks that at any time we can choose to mention we are never more than a few hours away from the extinction of the human race.

History is collective human experience and as such should be a tool to achieve the ends we see as good rather than brooding about if we are in a golden age or not (unless we are talking about animation).

Really, how bad are people at tracking big rocks floating in space?

[Eddie Teach]

Really, how bad are people at tracking big rocks floating in space?

Space is a big place.

[CountDeMoney]

Hang on, I though you were a bit of a goth in your youth, or is that another languishite ?

I was happy as a fucking clam, man.