I'm basically an optimist because I do think there's this historical modernisation process, and by and large it's been very beneficial to people. But there are blips. History doesn't proceed in a linear way.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
History is a relentless master. It has no present, only the past rushing into the future. To try to hold fast is to be swept aside.
History is one of those marvelous and necessary illusions we have to deal with. It's one of the ways of dealing with our world with impossible generalities which we couldn't live without.
So history is fertile territory for me and I think I could feel happy with any period of history, provided I had the right sources and the necessary time for the initial research.
History's lesson is to make the most of reform opportunities when they arise because they do not arise often and they do not last long.
I see history as really cyclical in terms of the intense idealism, and the desire to create a better life outside of societal norms.
If good history is dispassionate history, it must naturally wait until the passions of the period subside.
History is merciless. History doesn't care if we pound our society down a rat hole. It's up to us to make more intelligent choices about how we live!
History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.
One thing I've learned over these last 30 or 40 years is that people make history. There's no fait accompli to any of this.
We live in an era with no historical precedents. History is no longer useful as a tool in helping us understand current changes.