The significance of man is that he is insignificant and is aware of it.
Carl L. BeckerRead
The value of history is, indeed, not scientific but moral: by liberalizing the mind, by deepening the sympathies, by fortifying the will, it enables us to control, not society, but ourselves - a much more important thing; it prepares us to live more humanely in the present and to meet rather than to foretell the future.
Interpretation
History helps us develop morality and self-control, shaping our present and future experiences.
In this quote, Carl L. Becker emphasizes that the true value of history lies not in its scientific aspects, but in its capacity to cultivate moral understanding, empathy, and personal strength. By engaging with history, individuals can learn to better navigate their own lives and interactions, fostering a more humane existence in the present while preparing them to face the uncertainties of the future.
In practice
During a lecture on the importance of empathy, one might quote Becker to emphasize the moral lessons history teaches.
The significance of man is that he is insignificant and is aware of it.
All historical writing, even the most honest, is unconsciously subjective, since every age is bound, in spite of itself, to make the dead perform whatever tricks it finds necessary for its own peace of mind.
If they would rather die, . . . they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.
This life of ours...human life is like a flower gloriously blooming in a meadow: along comes a goat, eats it up---no more flower.
As a result of my philosophy, I wasn't even upset about Hitler. I was willing to go to war to knock him off, but I didn't hate him. I hated what he was doing.
For after all, what is there behind, except money? Money for the right kind of education, money for influential friends, money for leisure and peace of mind, money for trips to Italy. Money writes books, money sells them. Give me not righteousness, O lord, give me money, only money.
If we were to do the Second Coming of Christ in color for a full hour, there would be a considerable number of stations which would decline to carry it on the grounds that a Western or a quiz show would be more profitable.
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