AMS 355 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Egalitarianism, Cold War, Thomas Kuhn
Document Summary
We can examine the shaping currents of human thought and society. Identify trends that may direct future events. Where we get out modern ideas of history and why we study it. Hierarchy of race and progression of culture. Perhaps comes out of the judeo/christian view; onwards and upwards; product of the enlightenment of the 18th century; against the backdrop of individualism. Progress is infinite, fits in with exploration and colonization. And then there is a final synthesis, the people will live outside of history, struggle. A lot of people in the 1930"s were radicals; marxists; the have nots of the 50"s. 1930"s-1960"s : what made america a special snowflake; exceptionalism. the and 60"s -- basking in the grandeur of what is america. Great depression caused people to ponder the american identity (cold war era, seeking a positive view of the american identity). Collective attributes; markers of distinctiveness; self-understanding, myths (mental); sum total of learned behaviors.
