Quote:
Originally Posted by edwest2
History in the "what if" category is not history. It should be avoided.
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I COMPLETELY disagree. A smart historian is ALWAYS interested in examining alternatives, (why decisions were made and not made and why strategies were chosen and not chosen) to determine WHY history was made.
The study of history becomes sterile to the point of bean counting if a historian is uninterested in the latent, underlying conditions and thought processes of the participants.
Even worse, it is impossible to learn from history--to learn strategy and tactics from history--if all you are doing is counting beans.
Bronc