Scepticalscribe
Cancelled
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When pondering on and mulling over, the idea of a History section, the idea was actually prompted by a thought that crossed my mind after I switched off my bedside (sort of French Art Deco) lamp last night.
Firstly, (yes, this is the sort of stuff I think about in the shower and in bed), I wondered what @yaxomoxay thought about - or thinks about - Count Cavour.
Count Cavour was someone who always struck me as a very subtle, sober, successful, highly intelligent, idealistic, yet, not ruled by that idealism, instead the idealism informed his political aims, directions, and destinations and served as signposts on the journey - a moderate, pragmatic and sophisticated political leader at a time - the mid 19th century - and from the country that became modern Italy - both time and place that were not supposedly recognised for - or famous for - producing subtle, clever, intelligent - and sane - political leaders.
And secondly, arising from that, I wondered how to create a space in this forum where history could be discussed in a leisurely (but thoughtful) way, where questions of history could be explored, examined, debated, discussed - without necessarily facing prey to the Hitlerfication of history, though I am more than happy to see Adolf himself discussed, and debated and areas where history and politics intersect, "contemporary history" explored and examined.
As a student (and teacher) of history, you are supposed to be impartial, detached, distant, and to treat them all with scholastic indifference and strict scholarly objectivity.
Privately, of course, you have - or one had, or I have - favourites, those whom I like, (and cheer for their successes) and those whom I detest.
In Russian history, my heart lay with the reformers, rather than the revolutionaries, (and no, not with the Tsarist government) and, I'll admit to a soft spot for Count Cavour, as well, whom I always preferred to the more dashing Garibaldi.
With that, for now, I shall throw this open...
Firstly, (yes, this is the sort of stuff I think about in the shower and in bed), I wondered what @yaxomoxay thought about - or thinks about - Count Cavour.
Count Cavour was someone who always struck me as a very subtle, sober, successful, highly intelligent, idealistic, yet, not ruled by that idealism, instead the idealism informed his political aims, directions, and destinations and served as signposts on the journey - a moderate, pragmatic and sophisticated political leader at a time - the mid 19th century - and from the country that became modern Italy - both time and place that were not supposedly recognised for - or famous for - producing subtle, clever, intelligent - and sane - political leaders.
And secondly, arising from that, I wondered how to create a space in this forum where history could be discussed in a leisurely (but thoughtful) way, where questions of history could be explored, examined, debated, discussed - without necessarily facing prey to the Hitlerfication of history, though I am more than happy to see Adolf himself discussed, and debated and areas where history and politics intersect, "contemporary history" explored and examined.
As a student (and teacher) of history, you are supposed to be impartial, detached, distant, and to treat them all with scholastic indifference and strict scholarly objectivity.
Privately, of course, you have - or one had, or I have - favourites, those whom I like, (and cheer for their successes) and those whom I detest.
In Russian history, my heart lay with the reformers, rather than the revolutionaries, (and no, not with the Tsarist government) and, I'll admit to a soft spot for Count Cavour, as well, whom I always preferred to the more dashing Garibaldi.
With that, for now, I shall throw this open...
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