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Question: Why do people approach history like mathematics!?
There is rarely one right answer in history and history is always open to interpretation, and yet people approach history as if there is only one possible solution which often leads to incorrect conclusions because facts are ignored; in math, 2 + 2 will always equal 4, yet in history everything could be debated!.
In anticipation of stupid arguments such as, "well, X could equal more than one number in math" or "this treaty was signed in this year, no arguing that," please don't bother!. From the example I gave concerning math, it is clear what I mean and while it may be clear in what year an event occurred, history is more than just dates, it is the examination and interpretation of what occurred, which is always debatable!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
We as a society have decided a marginal literacy in history for all our kids is needed!. But that means we have to cram a large amount of information into their little unwilling heads in a very limited amount of time!. Subsequently, most people grow up having learned what they had to, along with a distaste for history!. Formal classes don't really get fun until you get to the more advanced college classes, and by then the number of people still in the game is very small!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
I was just trying to explain this to someone who referred to history as "too wordy"!. I said, don't think of it as a list of notes or a set of facts, but an on-going narrative!. History is unique among academic topics because of the passion involved in its study!. I don't think anyone is in love with numbers, but I am certainly in love with the past!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Your comparison is a good one, and I agree with it!. However, I don't think I've ever seen anyone go about history like math personally!. Schools teach the ideas that have the most support and are therefore widely considered to be true for the sake of time limitations--they can't possibly cover everything!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
"He who controls the present, controls the past!. He who controls the past, controls the future!."
-- George OrwellWww@QuestionHome@Com