tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post9129465486894878719..comments2024-03-19T07:48:54.021-06:00Comments on Gus Van Horn: Finally Caught Up!Gus Van Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-47971567978111408552007-08-03T08:40:00.000-06:002007-08-03T08:40:00.000-06:00I just mean that more time should be taken to expl...I just mean that more time should be taken to explain the inductive methods used in forming historical (especially ancient) paradigms. Just as a good physics class explains how Newton induced his laws, a good history should do the equivalent.The Gregorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13290237567186809131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-5496648322730432242007-08-02T15:27:00.000-06:002007-08-02T15:27:00.000-06:00I completely disagree with that. So if Powell does...I completely disagree with that. <BR/><BR/>So if Powell doesn't cite a source in his class, he's asking you to take something on faith? What if he does? Will you then say he's asking you to take what the source says on faith? This course is given <B>over the phone</B>, centuries removed from the events in time, and thousands of miles away in space! There is no way he can provide you with "concretes".<BR/><BR/>Your standard of knowledge logically would require omniscience before anyone could claim NOT to know something based on "faith". Furthermore, it would logically preclude one man teaching another <I>anything</I>. <BR/><BR/>Man is not omniscient and so can and does end up relying on others for much of his knowledge. He can do this -- and not be guilty of taking things on faith -- by attempting to integrate what one learns from others with the rest of his previously-acquired knowledge and, based on whether it "fits", deciding whether he believes it or not.<BR/><BR/>A history teacher can lead his students to other sources appropriate to the context of his class, but past a certain point, it rests with the students to consider what they have been taught and decide whether they think it represents knowledge.<BR/><BR/>In short, man is not reduced to "faith" simply because he takes advantage of an intellectual division of labor.Gus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-63389027109160052922007-08-02T15:02:00.000-06:002007-08-02T15:02:00.000-06:00And it's not just Christianity. Basically all of t...And it's not just Christianity. Basically all of the facts Scott goes over and what one learns in most history classes must be taken on faith unless the teacher takes the time to go into how and why we think that’s the way events happened.The Gregorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13290237567186809131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-38652116175097136062007-08-02T13:25:00.000-06:002007-08-02T13:25:00.000-06:00You don't believe that Rome eventually adopted Chr...You don't believe that Rome eventually adopted Christianity as its state religion?<BR/><BR/>Religions are, epistemologically, merely the other side of subjective whim-worship. The method -- blind faith -- is what makes it possible for a different set of gods to become ascendant in a civilization, particularly in a pluralistic society like Rome where some people probably found the certainty of Christianity (as poorly founded as it was) appealing.<BR/><BR/>I don't have any trouble buying that. There is no substantial, philosophically <B>fundamental</B> shift between worshipping one god and worshipping another.Gus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-68194587947753859672007-08-02T12:05:00.000-06:002007-08-02T12:05:00.000-06:00By “empirical grounding”, I mean that there are ce...By “empirical grounding”, I mean that there are certain accepted ideas in history with absolutely no evidence in support of them. <BR/><BR/>One example is the acceptance of the history Christianity in general and especially specific to its integration within the Roman Empire. <BR/><BR/>You mean I’m supposed to believe that within the span of a few hundred years Rome went from an empire that accepted every religion under the Sun (as long as they permitted Caesar worship) to the endorsement and violent enforcement of what was an obscure off-shoot Jewish cult? Especially after warring with the Jews for over a hundred years (precisely because they wouldn’t permit Caesar worship) and winning, the Roman elite after a few hundred years then tries to convert the whole empire to a cult that no longer worships Caesar but exclusively a dead Jew? I don’t buy it, there has to be more to the story. I think the current understanding of history especially regarding this subject has been tainted by Christian historians or historians accepting the premise of a historical Jesus for far too long.The Gregorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13290237567186809131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-81587694743935727232007-08-02T11:23:00.000-06:002007-08-02T11:23:00.000-06:00What do you mean by "empirical grounding"?To be fa...What do you mean by "empirical grounding"?<BR/><BR/><BR/>To be fair, he is selling a course in history, as opposed to philosophy of historyGus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-58097598349270070362007-08-02T10:14:00.000-06:002007-08-02T10:14:00.000-06:00I signed up for the free trial that Powell offers ...I signed up for the free trial that Powell offers on his website and was impressed with his periodization technique however I was expecting better empirical grounding from an Objectivist. I’m more interested in how we know what we know about history than a rehashing (although very good) of what is currently understood to be history.The Gregorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13290237567186809131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-11628525453623178052007-08-02T06:36:00.000-06:002007-08-02T06:36:00.000-06:00Listening to it, particularly during the Q&A, remi...Listening to it, particularly during the Q&A, reminds me of a radio show, and I wondered if it could ever take off to the point that it became a radio or television program, at which point advertisers could pay for part or all or it. (Then, it <I>would</I> be priced for a global market!)<BR/><BR/>I myself am unsure whether I will be able to afford future installments, but I figure that promoting it now will give it its best chance of growing, if not into a radio program, a more popular product whose larger market size might bring its price down by itself or through some involvement by advertisers.Gus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-52220506447633421292007-08-01T22:08:00.000-06:002007-08-01T22:08:00.000-06:00I really wish Powell History was priced with a mor...I really wish Powell History was priced with a more global market in mind :( As of right now, its really unaffordable.<BR/><BR/>- Dinesh.Dinesh Pillayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04739882007318832578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-11286994203911069032007-08-01T07:35:00.000-06:002007-08-01T07:35:00.000-06:00If I recall correctly, you might have blogged it a...If I recall correctly, you might have blogged it awhile back. I'll take a look at it as I get used to his methods. (But thanks for the tip all the same.)<BR/><BR/>I am at the moment taking a low-tech approach since you never really can escape paper and I want to avoid investing in something like a PDA or software until I know what my needs really are.Gus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-1416320121926339232007-08-01T06:45:00.000-06:002007-08-01T06:45:00.000-06:00I found out about the GTD method a few weeks ago w...I found out about the GTD method a few weeks ago while trying to find software that would help me manage all of the todo's I have to get done. I haven't heard much about David Allen's methods, but I can say that his work has spawned a lot of great software that's making my life a lot easier.Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15582845477209516725noreply@blogger.com