Is a knowledge of history important to your future?

1. 80

   Wayne Brownposted 12 years ago

   Is a knowledge of history important to your future?

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2. 92

   Zakmoonbeamposted 12 years ago

   I believe it can help us prevent the repeat of the mistakes of our fathers and forefathers, so in one respect, absolutely. 
   
   However, we cannot "hang ourselves" in history, guilt should not be inherited for past a generations misdemeanors.  History must be true and should never sugar coat the murkier parts of our lives, but equally it should not inflict or repress opinions either.

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3. 61

   Roserbudposted 12 years ago

   Sometimes yes but sometimes no However i think that knowledge of history is useful in some situations and i respect it!

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4. 68

   home witchposted 12 years ago

   Yes, most certainly. If I didn't know where I came from, how could I make a educated decision about my future. I think a real understanding of the currents and cycles of history give us a great insight into life, into what's important. It allows us to see the big picture, to see the world in totality.

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5. 61

   Britonposted 12 years ago

   It certainly is, with regards to my work in aviation, its very important to know what went before and how we got to the point we are at now, and see how the progression is going and what the future may hold with new developments.
   With regards to civilization as a whole, its tantamount in my belief that we should know what went before, to maintain the lessons of history that benefit society and be aware of the things that have erroded civilized values and do our damndest never to repeat those.

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6. 60

   AngusNzposted 12 years ago

   History works in cycles, what has happened in the past will undoubtedly happen again in the future. Understanding history will enable us to better appreciate and recognise the events and may help us to better deal with them, 'however knowing human nature I doubt it'.

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7. 67

   Anjiliposted 12 years ago

   History is significant to the future if we want to succesfully address current problems while avoiding past mistakes

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8. 60

   garyyoungbergposted 12 years ago

   Spanish philosopher George Santayana 1863 - 1952 wrote:
   “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it”
   I agree entirely with his premise.

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9. 61

   smelloftruthposted 12 years ago

   It depends. For example, I read that some marketers actually read history and humans have been the same since the recorded history. Knowledge on this historical fact means assurance that knowing the basic marketing strategy is helpful even in the future

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10. 61

    craftybegoniaposted 12 years ago

    What is that saying that goes something like "those that forget history are bound to repeat it"?

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11. 60

    GNelsonposted 12 years ago

    Let me put it this way, if Bush and Chaney had fought in Vietnam we wouldn't be in an Iraq war.

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12. 58

    Stanley0816posted 12 years ago

    Yes, history has a way of repeating itself. If we know past events, maybe we can be better prepared for the future ones.

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13. 60

    wärmepumpeposted 12 years ago

    Yesterday is History, The Future is a Mystery, But Today is a Gift thats why it is called Present

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14. 61

    Gleddy13posted 12 years ago

    "Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it."
    Love that quote by Winston Churchill.  Mainly because he says "fail to LEARN from history...".  We shouldn't be dwelling in the past, but if we learn from it we can sure avoid a lot of problems in the future.

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15. 68

    glenn wallaceposted 12 years ago

    History give perspective. If we lose sight of the lessons of the past, it only makes sense we'd end up walking in circles - "doomed to repeat it" and all that, per the famous quote.
    
    So much of our daily lives, and all the little sensations, scandals and tragedies that make up our current culture all have direct ties to the lessons of the past, echoing up through hundreds, even thousands of years of similarity.
    
    Simonvisser said since he is mostly interested in technology, history loses some importance for him. That's fair, the speed at which our technology is advancing and the things it is allowing us to do certainly have no direct analogy to any other time in human history.
    But I'd caution him against completely forgetting history. The cultural, moral, legal and ethical implications of this watershed of discovery all have ties to our past. A deep understanding of where we came from may be the only thing that helps humanity stay grounded as gadgets and genomes continue to redefine what we are all capable of.

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16. 57

    The Ordinary Guyposted 12 years ago

    It is common for people to rely on past situation to determine future situation . From the past we can see the right and wrong of what has been done ,
    
    For the  right things that we have done  , we maintain . For the wrong things we have done , we work to stop these from occuring again .
    
    History does not mean something that has occured a century ago . Things that happened the past month or the past week are also considered as history .
    
    By correcting the mistake that has been made in past , we would be making our present and future better .

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17. 60

    DerekWriteposted 12 years ago

    As the saying goes you need to know it to not repeat it but at the same time it's good to not always look to the past and use a fresh mind towards the future.

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18. 68

    davidrioposted 12 years ago

    Human patterns tend to repeat themselves with more or less the same reactions to similar events: economic crisis, personal achievements, political issues, new art forms, etc., therefore knowing history gives you an edge as the future becomes more predictable based on past events

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    rlleon42posted 12 years ago

    history gives us a trend of probability to draw more logical and well thought out conclusions about what may happen. however, what has happened has happened, and although history may repeat itself at a macro level, its micro level details are always unpredictable variants of life. Knowledge of history only helps anticipate successully so much, how often do we find ourselves repeating the same mistakes over and over and over.

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20. 59

    libby101aposted 12 years ago

    I think it's important to know where you came from to know what direction to go in. Our past history is key to a better future! Not only does it help us make better decisions for our future, it also educates us. Knowledge is power!

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    Msvirgoposted 12 years ago

    We need know where we came from to know where we are going.

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    AllSuretyBondsposted 12 years ago

    I think that history is important for my future because I think we can learn a lot from those that went before us. We may not repeat the same exact thing because time is always changing and we will never be in the same part of time but there will be similar situations that will come our way. If we know our history I believe it can help us make better decisions for the future.

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23. 74

    lone77starposted 12 years ago

    History is interesting. If civilization were to persist for a great deal longer, then we could learn from history not to repeat the same mistakes.
    
    But for my understanding, the key importance of civilization is the spiritual awakening of each one of us.
    
    For this reason, the most important study of history is a biblical one. For in that study, one learns the heart of the struggle between ego and the Holy Spirit within. With those lessons we may learn to put away our childish things.

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    cer1056posted 9 years ago

    History gives us a rutter of where not to go, otherwise we endlessly circle repeating the same old mistakes over and over again.

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25. 61

    songboatposted 6 years ago

    Absolutely I have always had a beautiful calligraphy framed picture of the Constitution and Bill of Rights hanging on my living room wall. I think it should be mandatory so we keep the true laws of our country clear and present in our minds.

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