In hindsight

[Lysear]

As a historian I understand the benefits of hindight as a tool. It is not fair to judge people for actions based on our own ideals. For example, slavery in colonial and ante-bellum America (and 20th century for that matter!) was a product of a necesity and belief system at the time which was key to society. important figures in history have had or have used slaves, George Washington, Stonewall Jackson etc.

With this in mind, isn't it strange to think about how we will be judged in 200 years time or even 100? We cant even begin to comprehend this! Their may be a complete upheaval of society and the world could be living under a totally different set of ideals! (maybe like in Starship troopers!) A good way to understand this is to compare modern industrial capitalism with agrarian feudalism of the middle ages, the lords and peasant system was all they knew, and this was what the people of the time would have been comfortable with, but I wouldn't like the idea of being subservient to anyone in my lifetime.

Will we be pitied? revered? condemned? I would love to be there when historians decide on this. Who knows, in 50 years time I could be the historian who's work becomes the dominant paradigm on the era.

Anyway, this is just a topic that really interests me, as I believe that not enough people are aware of ideas outside of their comfortable worlds. (refer to previous topic by myself on literal structualism.) What does everyone else think? do you care or am I just rabbiting on about a whole load of nothing?