[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
three weeks ago my class was asked by a
teacher what is morality I was taken
aback and we haven’t not deeply
considered this question before replied
personal principles deciding the
difference between right and wrong the
response we got was a slow nod and
pensive look presentism is the practice
of applying modern-day morality to the
past and that phrase modern-day morality
is where I’d like to begin my talk
tonight
although most dictionaries would agree
with my broad definition of morality
obtaining a consensus for the whole
world’s idea of such proves much for Nia
for some euthanasia is an act of murder
for others it is an act of kindness is
doing right
finding endless online petitions
sweating your way to a finish line for
charity or cultivating a marvelous
mustache in Movember to raise awareness
are we now only morally just when our
actions will benefit others a tricky
question to which I’m sure we’d all have
varied answers to it is unlikely that
any consensus of what the modern-day
population thinks of as being morally
correct or incorrect will be unanimous
as our thoughts of fickle and a change
as part of who we are our morals have
never quite been set in stone they have
shaped shifted since their beginning
through time and across the world they
have become the playdough of the people
and societies since have consistently
been molding their hand into principles
that benefit their wants needs and way
of life most thus difference is to be
expected across the globe morality can
undergo a revolution within a generation
it was not until 1928 when women first
achieved the same fighting voting rights
as men in Germany it was 1918
Switzerland 1971 and United Arab
Emirates 2006 in the centuries prior to
this many thought that women having this
right was wrong I’m sure some still do
and this problem of inconsistency is
especially prevalent in today’s society
with our widespread access to
information via the internet not all of
us like no longer constrained by herd
mentality ignorance and we’re more
likely to form our own code of ethics
therefore what is morally just in our
day and age is entirely subjective and
cannot be concretely defined this is one
of the most compelling criticisms of
presentism can one condemned restricting
women’s right to vote since given that
morals are subjective and fluid who is
to say that a single person’s morals or
rights were wrong for one to deem
something is incorrect does not
necessarily prove that it is
fundamentally fundamentally wrong
secondly there is no way to prove that
one person’s code of morals are lost
truly aligned with modern-day morality
by which presentism aims to judge the
past presentism is believed by some such
as historian David Fisher to be a common
fallacy in historical writing the
fallacy of nunc pro tunc now for then
applying judgment to an earlier date it
is generally agreed that discussions of
the past should be unclouded by bias and
thus approaches such a presentism should
not be employed another key argument
against presentism exists it doesn’t
matter what does the discussion or
judgment of the past actually achieve
the past is the past and we can do
nothing about it now similarly debating
on what historical figures were like is
than debating about fictional characters
in our day and age they only exist in
stories I believe a case for presentism
exists after all we have been using the
practice in various ways for a long time
in the 19th century students were
expected to study ancient history to
find therein examples of politics in the
present our political system was
inspired by the ancient Greeks to take
notes from the past with the purpose of
applying it to the future therein must
lie a judgment in this case we deemed
the Greeks example to be a positive
influence my case were in for presentism
can be broken down to two key points
judging the past leads to apologies and
those are needed
second we learn from it and can do
better let us start with apologies it
was in 2009 that World War two code
breaker alan sharing was often a offered
an apology by Prime Minister Gordon
Brown he was arrested in 1952 and his
crime being homosexual it was not until
50 years ago that the Sexual Offences
Act made it legal for two men to be
together as long as it was in private
and they were over 21 years of age
churring was sentenced to chemical
castration by a series of injections of
female hormones but he killed himself
before this could take full effect why
was this apology important
apologies are definitely not conclusions
but they are beginnings not only was it
a step in the right direction towards
equality but for the surviving nieces
and nephews of cheering for the
surviving relatives of any gay person
who is in justly punished for their
sexuality there is a sense of peace a
recognition of wrongdoing by our
government gives calls for optimism that
such won’t happen again in the future
and this isn’t a perfect world hate
crimes still exists but at least says
hope upon saying can you file one bar
Chou
we’ll remember villi Brandt’s historic
act in 1970 a silent demonstration of
empathy and understanding for the
victims of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising he
laid a wreath next to a commemorative
monument and then knelt before it to
what is reported as everyone’s surprise
this was one of the first times that
Germany showed remorse for the war not
only did Brandt mine Germany that Nazism
is something to be remembered with
connotations of regret rather than
forgotten but that through public
demonstrations of guilt today room is
made for reconciliation as an article in
Psychology Today put it apology is not
just a social nicety it is an important
ritual a way of showing respect and
empathy for the wronged person for those
affected in the past receiving a public
apology can lead to healing and moving
past anger no longer perceiving the
wrongdoer as a threat one can only
imagine the good the possible goods that
this could do for society if a
government meaningfully apologized for
its failures could it lessen or stop
Wars could communities feel more
accepted could it better world relations
only possibilities but perhaps ones
worth thinking about moving on to my
second point we learn from it I came
across the following comment posted
online while researching this talk why
judge the past when it seems to
continually elicit a deep disappointment
in our ancestors they will never live up
to our present-day standards this is not
the point of presentism when I judge my
past self as we all naturally do I am
disappointed by my actions and times of
stress arrogance and ignorance I have
pushed people away and manipulated
others closer a classic example of a
flawed human it pains me and I
cringe to remember so why do I put
myself through these reflections because
it’s not all I get
I endeavor to learn from that mistake I
hope to recognize when I am on the brink
of doing it again and consider my next
move more deeply it makes a difference
and arguably this is why presentism is
important humanities present situation
can be summed up quite nicely by a quote
from Margaret Macmillan we can learn
from history but we can also deceive
ourselves when we selectively take
evidence from the past to justify what
we have already made our minds up to do
there are a great number of examples
where we haven’t heeded the advice from
the past but there are also examples in
which we have and benefits have been
reaped Woodrow Wilson’s fourteen point
program for world peace
following World War one was designed to
learn from the past and stop another war
from taking place we do not know how
effective it would have been if it was
implemented but we do know that the
harsh sanctions on Germany which the
program did not support facilitated
Hitler rising to power and the coming on
of the Second World War
learning from the failures of its
predecessor the League of Nations the
United Nations remains a prosperous
institution to this day the introduction
of their own army which the League of
Nations did not have allowed them to
take robust action against aggressors an
example of this being in the Korean War
with regards to learning from the past
and where I think humanity could be I
turned to Edmund Burke who said in
history a great volume is unrolled for
our instruction during the materials of
future wisdom from the past errors and
infirmities of mankind we’re never to
look to the past for an understanding of
where we are today and for guidelines
for the future and while doing so we are
bound to use a moral prism it is in our
nature
we can even just take a look at GCSE
history questions one being to what
extent was the Treaty of Versailles
they’re presentism is unavoidable in the
academic community advocating the
importance of this practice is bound to
elicit some snares but it’s worth is not
found in the analytical essays that
judge to judge alone rather it is the
consequences of using presentism
striving purely for a politically
correct stance that matters an essay on
how it was wrong for Cortes Spanish
conquest adore to invade Mexico killing
countless natives on the process and
ultimately leading to the genocide of
the Native Americans it’s not going to
make much of a difference because we
can’t do much about it it’s in the past
yes but the lessons learned and what we
do with this information can make
significant differences as Donald Trump
President of the United States of
America attempts to place a wall around
the border of Mexico to stop people in
need from coming in because they are not
Americans
he not only forgets the principles on
which America was built all men are
created equal most of all he forgets
that Americans themselves were
immigrants
we’re not apologizing for the
persecution of say the lgbtq+ community
how are they expected to feel accepted
in the present without a public apology
what are we teaching the children of
this generation we may not be to blame
for what happened but we are responsible
for what happens next
freaka also convincingly argues people
who have been wronged by the state
deserve an apology by the state even if
the individuals and government are
different from those at the time and so
look at your moral compass speak out
against the past and then use presentism
to teach others through your learning
through your example ultimately judging
the past is important to better the
present and who doesn’t want that
you
[Applause]
[Applause]
[Music]
three weeks ago my class was asked by a
teacher what is morality I was taken
aback and we haven’t not deeply
considered this question before replied
personal principles deciding the
difference between right and wrong the
response we got was a slow nod and
pensive look presentism is the practice
of applying modern-day morality to the
past and that phrase modern-day morality
is where I’d like to begin my talk
tonight
although most dictionaries would agree
with my broad definition of morality
obtaining a consensus for the whole
world’s idea of such proves much for Nia
for some euthanasia is an act of murder
for others it is an act of kindness is
doing right
finding endless online petitions
sweating your way to a finish line for
charity or cultivating a marvelous
mustache in Movember to raise awareness
are we now only morally just when our
actions will benefit others a tricky
question to which I’m sure we’d all have
varied answers to it is unlikely that
any consensus of what the modern-day
population thinks of as being morally
correct or incorrect will be unanimous
as our thoughts of fickle and a change
as part of who we are our morals have
never quite been set in stone they have
shaped shifted since their beginning
through time and across the world they
have become the playdough of the people
and societies since have consistently
been molding their hand into principles
that benefit their wants needs and way
of life most thus difference is to be
expected across the globe morality can
undergo a revolution within a generation
it was not until 1928 when women first
achieved the same fighting voting rights
as men in Germany it was 1918
Switzerland 1971 and United Arab
Emirates 2006 in the centuries prior to
this many thought that women having this
right was wrong I’m sure some still do
and this problem of inconsistency is
especially prevalent in today’s society
with our widespread access to
information via the internet not all of
us like no longer constrained by herd
mentality ignorance and we’re more
likely to form our own code of ethics
therefore what is morally just in our
day and age is entirely subjective and
cannot be concretely defined this is one
of the most compelling criticisms of
presentism can one condemned restricting
women’s right to vote since given that
morals are subjective and fluid who is
to say that a single person’s morals or
rights were wrong for one to deem
something is incorrect does not
necessarily prove that it is
fundamentally fundamentally wrong
secondly there is no way to prove that
one person’s code of morals are lost
truly aligned with modern-day morality
by which presentism aims to judge the
past presentism is believed by some such
as historian David Fisher to be a common
fallacy in historical writing the
fallacy of nunc pro tunc now for then
applying judgment to an earlier date it
is generally agreed that discussions of
the past should be unclouded by bias and
thus approaches such a presentism should
not be employed another key argument
against presentism exists it doesn’t
matter what does the discussion or
judgment of the past actually achieve
the past is the past and we can do
nothing about it now similarly debating
on what historical figures were like is
than debating about fictional characters
in our day and age they only exist in
stories I believe a case for presentism
exists after all we have been using the
practice in various ways for a long time
in the 19th century students were
expected to study ancient history to
find therein examples of politics in the
present our political system was
inspired by the ancient Greeks to take
notes from the past with the purpose of
applying it to the future therein must
lie a judgment in this case we deemed
the Greeks example to be a positive
influence my case were in for presentism
can be broken down to two key points
judging the past leads to apologies and
those are needed
second we learn from it and can do
better let us start with apologies it
was in 2009 that World War two code
breaker alan sharing was often a offered
an apology by Prime Minister Gordon
Brown he was arrested in 1952 and his
crime being homosexual it was not until
50 years ago that the Sexual Offences
Act made it legal for two men to be
together as long as it was in private
and they were over 21 years of age
churring was sentenced to chemical
castration by a series of injections of
female hormones but he killed himself
before this could take full effect why
was this apology important
apologies are definitely not conclusions
but they are beginnings not only was it
a step in the right direction towards
equality but for the surviving nieces
and nephews of cheering for the
surviving relatives of any gay person
who is in justly punished for their
sexuality there is a sense of peace a
recognition of wrongdoing by our
government gives calls for optimism that
such won’t happen again in the future
and this isn’t a perfect world hate
crimes still exists but at least says
hope upon saying can you file one bar
Chou
we’ll remember villi Brandt’s historic
act in 1970 a silent demonstration of
empathy and understanding for the
victims of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising he
laid a wreath next to a commemorative
monument and then knelt before it to
what is reported as everyone’s surprise
this was one of the first times that
Germany showed remorse for the war not
only did Brandt mine Germany that Nazism
is something to be remembered with
connotations of regret rather than
forgotten but that through public
demonstrations of guilt today room is
made for reconciliation as an article in
Psychology Today put it apology is not
just a social nicety it is an important
ritual a way of showing respect and
empathy for the wronged person for those
affected in the past receiving a public
apology can lead to healing and moving
past anger no longer perceiving the
wrongdoer as a threat one can only
imagine the good the possible goods that
this could do for society if a
government meaningfully apologized for
its failures could it lessen or stop
Wars could communities feel more
accepted could it better world relations
only possibilities but perhaps ones
worth thinking about moving on to my
second point we learn from it I came
across the following comment posted
online while researching this talk why
judge the past when it seems to
continually elicit a deep disappointment
in our ancestors they will never live up
to our present-day standards this is not
the point of presentism when I judge my
past self as we all naturally do I am
disappointed by my actions and times of
stress arrogance and ignorance I have
pushed people away and manipulated
others closer a classic example of a
flawed human it pains me and I
cringe to remember so why do I put
myself through these reflections because
it’s not all I get
I endeavor to learn from that mistake I
hope to recognize when I am on the brink
of doing it again and consider my next
move more deeply it makes a difference
and arguably this is why presentism is
important humanities present situation
can be summed up quite nicely by a quote
from Margaret Macmillan we can learn
from history but we can also deceive
ourselves when we selectively take
evidence from the past to justify what
we have already made our minds up to do
there are a great number of examples
where we haven’t heeded the advice from
the past but there are also examples in
which we have and benefits have been
reaped Woodrow Wilson’s fourteen point
program for world peace
following World War one was designed to
learn from the past and stop another war
from taking place we do not know how
effective it would have been if it was
implemented but we do know that the
harsh sanctions on Germany which the
program did not support facilitated
Hitler rising to power and the coming on
of the Second World War
learning from the failures of its
predecessor the League of Nations the
United Nations remains a prosperous
institution to this day the introduction
of their own army which the League of
Nations did not have allowed them to
take robust action against aggressors an
example of this being in the Korean War
with regards to learning from the past
and where I think humanity could be I
turned to Edmund Burke who said in
history a great volume is unrolled for
our instruction during the materials of
future wisdom from the past errors and
infirmities of mankind we’re never to
look to the past for an understanding of
where we are today and for guidelines
for the future and while doing so we are
bound to use a moral prism it is in our
nature
we can even just take a look at GCSE
history questions one being to what
extent was the Treaty of Versailles
they’re presentism is unavoidable in the
academic community advocating the
importance of this practice is bound to
elicit some snares but it’s worth is not
found in the analytical essays that
judge to judge alone rather it is the
consequences of using presentism
striving purely for a politically
correct stance that matters an essay on
how it was wrong for Cortes Spanish
conquest adore to invade Mexico killing
countless natives on the process and
ultimately leading to the genocide of
the Native Americans it’s not going to
make much of a difference because we
can’t do much about it it’s in the past
yes but the lessons learned and what we
do with this information can make
significant differences as Donald Trump
President of the United States of
America attempts to place a wall around
the border of Mexico to stop people in
need from coming in because they are not
Americans
he not only forgets the principles on
which America was built all men are
created equal most of all he forgets
that Americans themselves were
immigrants
we’re not apologizing for the
persecution of say the lgbtq+ community
how are they expected to feel accepted
in the present without a public apology
what are we teaching the children of
this generation we may not be to blame
for what happened but we are responsible
for what happens next
freaka also convincingly argues people
who have been wronged by the state
deserve an apology by the state even if
the individuals and government are
different from those at the time and so
look at your moral compass speak out
against the past and then use presentism
to teach others through your learning
through your example ultimately judging
the past is important to better the
present and who doesn’t want that
you
[Applause]
Please follow and like us: