Human capacity to recognize, absorb and integrate new information about our history is limited, because we are rightfully preoccupied with the here and now; nervous about new information, which may undermine details of the history we believe in; unfamiliar with the methodologies used to verify the information’s accuracy; and uncertain that information about the long-term history of our kind has any real practical value.
Human artifacts from 25,000 years ago were unimaginable until recently. History is the primary source of more accurate information about human nature. In studying it we find the roots of humanity’s strengths and weaknesses in order to build upon those strengths and defuse the self-destructive weaknesses. From the Deccan Herald, San Sebastian, Spain, Aug. 11,…
Can you name the great historians of the 21st century? We don’t know their names, but we can make a reasonable guess about the primary focus of their inquiries. If humans have existed for 200,000 years, then humanity has 200,000 years of history. The great historians of the 21st century will focus on all of…
An overwhelming majority of people living on Earth believe their god offers them an afterlife. The accuracy of this statement is based on the number of people who belong to a religion that claims life after death is a certainty. Among the many existing religions featuring some form of afterlife are Christianity (2.5 billion adherents),…
A recently leaked memo suggested that British Prime Minister David Cameron’s government was not doing well with women voters. As reported in The Economist on Oct. 15, 2011, this finding may account for “a stream of female-friendly policy announcements, including calls for more women on company boards and new guidelines to shield children from online…
Six thousand to 7,000 years ago, the pairing of domesticated oxen and primitive plows triggered an agricultural revolution in the fertile Tigris and Euphrates valley. Before the plow, women using sticks and hoes were the managers of Mesopotamian agriculture. After the physically more challenging plow was adopted, men became the managers of agriculture in Mesopotamia….
Welcome to the global debate about gun and nuclear weapons ownership. You already know both sides of the argument. Weapons are proliferating. More powerful weapons are manufactured in smaller sizes. Weapons power proliferation (WPP) is deadly force humanity is learning more about. The first recorded use of nuclear weapons was in the 20th century. At least…