my dear friend zond recently questioned my knowledge of history (among many other things). for some strange reason, despite the variety of insults, it was the the history thing that got my goat.

you see, the study of history - historiography - demands a critical approach that extends beyond the mere examination of historical fact. historiographical studies consider the source of the writing, often by gaining an understanding of the author as a person and the intellectual trends that are present at the time that the work of history was written.

to expand on this issue, let's weigh in with one of the world's great philosophers. hegel's theory of history says that for every idea there is a conflicting idea that exists due to the inherent contradictions in the first. furthermore, out of this struggle a new idea is created. (this is the dialectic formula - thesis, antithesis, synthesis). thus, history is simply the product of conflict.

"periods of happiness are empty pages in history, for they are the periods of harmony, times when the antithesis is missing." - hegel

in simple terms - the history that you and I read in school, that we read on the web and in magazines - is fact, interpreted... fact that is veiled by the "isms" to which the author subscribes.

so while I could indeed google "president kennedy" and read that when taxes have been cut in this country, tax revenue has increased - i could just as easily find a historian or thirty who disagrees with this "fact." economics is no more cut and dry than history - if it were, we wouldn't be in the midst of a recession. ever.

and just for the record, it is these conflicts that make democracy a viable system. yes - i admit - you are reading the blog of a liberal. (gasp!)

so please zond - feel free to email me and let me know when i have a typo. i admit - i don't edit my personal blog. i don't use spell check when posting about petting my kittens or a writing about my reactions to the state of the union. and by all means - feel free to disagree with my opinions. (hegel told me that someone might!)

but - i have to ask - did your inquiry as to my high school diploma make you feel better? *

* note: i have a bachelor's degree in both english and history which did require that high school diploma first. just thought you'd like all of the facts so that you might properly insult my education in the future.

(sigh) off my soap box. that was fun actually. thanks zond, i appreciate it... but i promise you, hon - that was the last time any of your comments will inspire me to react.