Those that don't know history are doomed. . .

I can remember the most obscure shit like that for no apparent reason, yet I can't hold the figures of a current budget breakdown that I am working on daily in my head for more than 5 minutes. I think I have someone elses brain...

C x Originally Posted by Camille

Welcome to MY world!

Regarding the original post: whether the class is history, or math, language arts, science, etc...is not as important to me. Following any of these paths would be equally dangerous. Information (learned) provides understanding, and the process of education endows freedom. How? In my experience, the process of education entailed more than rote memorization of facts. The process and purpose of education was to instruct me how to think for myself...to view a situation/problem; assess it; and develop a solution. The facts I learned during this process were details along the path. However by learning those details I gleaned a better understanding of subjects, people, times, influences, etc...which strengthened my ability to think, freely and with greater discernment.
The opposite of this, as it relates to the original post, is if you wish to control people you deny their ability to think for themselves; thus making the acceptance of the information you feed them easier.

"In the words of a very famous dead person, 'A nation that does not know its history is doomed to do poorly on the Scholastic Aptitude Test." — Dave Barry (Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States)