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Saturday, January 3, 2009

History Advantage and Disadvantage of History

Posted by Charles Mudede on Sat, Jan 3, 2009 at 10:57 AM

A consequence of reading too much philosophy is that the whole world around you begins to speak in philosophy. Out of national events, small actions, facial expressions, the shapes and shades of clouds—from out of these and many, many other things and happenings we hear a dialectic, a conversation, a philosophical discourse. "When you see trees swaying about they are talking to one another," said Wittgenstein to his students. That type talking has its origin in the ancient city of Miletus.

And what part of this 2000-year-old conversation did I hear when I read about this tragic incident?

The 22-year-old man who was shot and killed by police this morning while wearing a Nazi uniform was, according to his friends, a World War II buff and German Culture major at the University of Washington.

According to one of UW senior Miles Murphy's friends, Murphy collected World War II memorabilia and participated in recreations of battles. "I think the Nazi thing is being blown out of proportion," the friend says. "They reenact battles and stuff. [He wasn't] modeling himself after Hitler."

I heard a discussion concerning a sentence in the first paragraph of Nietzsche's essay on history: "We wish to serve history only insofar as it serves the living."

Comments (6) RSS

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History and philosophy serve you not, Charles.

Imagine with me, if you will....

A slave, a tribesman, an oppressed...dreams of a day he can live without oppression. "I would never have to even think about it. I would have the opportunity to live without even having to think about it."

Every moment you waste thinking about it indeed a moment, and indeed time in your life squandered pontificating about the deeds that your fathers suffered so that you would not have to.

Now stop thinking about it.

Posted by Non on January 3, 2009 at 11:27 AM

Charles, your philosophical historo-babble would make even my UChicago professors weep. Consider a career in academia, bullshitting is an art.

Posted by hunter on January 3, 2009 at 11:31 AM

For that he would need to be an academic, which he is not @2.

He is a critic.

Posted by Nope on January 3, 2009 at 11:32 AM

Congratulations Charles, this may be the only slog post I've ever read that doesn't have any bold text.

Posted by Brandon J. on January 3, 2009 at 12:13 PM

If he was a student of history he should have known that pointing a gun at police will get you killed. My guess is he wanted to be shot.

Posted by Vince on January 3, 2009 at 12:30 PM

" hjiop ajiroedp sburoep s'ajroep sn[ajrbo sen[pzfjnieospz capitalism [jfiesoa dialectic [jfiea[jriweo[ j jtei wpaj jiofpe Hegel[ shjigr9dyt84 eajbewksalhvjio greoap todszp' a cloud that looks like a horsy gjklxz; vhszl k7ufie a;jte mkopnjinajen nkoe nio noa paoihe nkl;e.

Posted by Chucky Mudedegenstein on January 3, 2009 at 5:54 PM