A thought will conventionally perpetrate reason to the person who thinks of it. What we surmise in our thoughts is influenced by reason and emotion, either subjective or objective reason. Language is one of the instruments in which we decipher other person’s thoughts for ourselves. “Thought is the blossom; language is the bud; action and fruit behind it.” We all know some words that we can hem together to make a good group of sentences that also decipher our thoughts to others. At the same time, we quote other peoples words, because we assume that our ideas and thought are not fully deciphered by the group of words we hemmed. Some people have the ability to sew the words into a beautiful segment that translates an idea perfectly.
Historians provide events or stories, at least to the average person who is not going to research the topic himself. The book he- the average person, picks up to know more about the history of a certain topic is written by a historian. In history books facts support the intent and purpose of the historian. So the fact is chosen. However, this choosing of facts is not random, it is directed by perception which is directed by the historians knowledge and what the historian think that the reader should know. An example on that is the Japanese history book, which had a political impact because the Chinese and South Korean governments felt that the book whitewashes the Japanese crimes done in WWII.
Language is the key to success. The world’s greatest leaders won their way to people’s heads and hearts by language and emotion. On every national day of great importance, world leaders give a speech on television. Whether it is a Christmas message or a New Year message to their nations and other people in the world. Eloquence is essential in touching people’s heart. One of the greatest speeches given was by Alexander the Great to his men in the Hydaspes River in India. After 10 years of fighting and creating an empire made of the Persian Empire, Egypt and Greece, the men had enough, and wanted to go home. Alexander, a great orator, gave a speech that shook the men’s hearts and gave the motivation. He said: “I could not have blamed you for being the first to lose heart if I, your commander, had not shared in your exhausting marches and your perilous campaigns; it would have been natural enough if you had done all the work merely for others to reap the reward. But it is not so. You and I, gentlemen, have shared the labor and shared the danger, and the rewards are for us all. The conquered territory belongs to you; from your ranks the governors of it are chosen; already the greater part of its treasure passes into your hands, and when all Asia is overrun, then indeed I will go further than the mere satisfaction of our ambitions: the utmost hopes of riches or power which each one of you cherishes will be far surpassed, and whoever wishes to return home will be allowed to go, either with me or without me. I will make those who stay the envy of those who return.”
Emotion is a way of knowing which influences historians interpretation of facts. Such as the case of the Australian government when they issued an official apology to the indigenous people, the Aboriginals, for taking their lands and breaking their families without compensation, the apology had touching words like the following: “We apologize for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians,” and it says after that: “To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.” The feeling of remorse and grief is felt form the Australian government, as well as they had to reason based on the evidence of historical research about the abuse.
Propagandas, information of bias nature, are used to alter people’s reason into a specific cause or point. Throughout history propagandas were used- without looking at the ethical content to control, motivate, or even justify some bad deeds to the people. Propagandas such as “Uncle Sam needs you!” hide the economic and political reasons for a war. It sells the propaganda that it’s ‘in the light of democracy and reason’. Another example is, the Nazi party’s propaganda and hierarchy of races. A few examples of the many we have around the world. Another example is the censorship practiced in the former Soviet Union by the Glavlit, a censorship agency, which was not contingent by the constitution, it was illegal. The Glavlit controlled literature, the books available, and as a matter of fact, the writers.
Collective memory, another way of knowledge that is essential for historians. Historian R.G. Collingwood once said/claimed: “Each man can only write from his cultural paradigm and from his interest. No man is a ‘tabula rasa’” Tabula rasa means the human mind at birth which is viewed as having no innate ideas. Collective memory helps us at making a justification(s) for a certain action from what we have learned in our lives. This also interchanges with another way of knowledge, which is causation. Causation looks and helps historians to know the cause and effect. Collective memory and reason can also help history books readers to filter out the information that sounds bias or whitewashed to them
People with reason created language. People who thought that if we put some shapes together with different sounds it will make sense, and we will be able to communicate with one another. Even though reason created language, language is created to create reason. Take for example, two people who are in a middle of a conversation. Person “x” has a thought in his head, that makes perfect sense, and he wants to make person “y” understand it. So, person “x” translates his thought to person “y” using language, in this sense language creates reason to person “y”, a simple example that shows the exchange of reason.
Conventionally, how can we connect reason and language together to show the rule of them in history? One of the philosophies that interested me was of a man named David Hume. Hume claims that reason is the slave of passion, which of course, is opposing to almost all western views. Hume argues that, if someone has the passion for something he will reason his way to convince himself that the action he’s taking in supporting his own cause or point is the right thing. This of course, doesn’t mean that I agree with Hume’s philosophy and that reason is a slave of passion.
Voltaire, a French writer, philosopher and playwright, once said: “History is fables agreed upon.” What is a fable? A fable is a story that conveys a certain moral. Sometimes defined as a false statement or belief. What is a belief? A leap-of-faith? Do we reason for leaps-of-faith? Well, this brings us back to David Hume’s philosophy that says reason is the slave of passion, and that’s why we make whatever reason we have to protect out beliefs, we may even create reason to protect our beliefs.
The role of language and reason in history is easily detected and shown. Many examples exist in our world that proves that, but what is language? And what is reason? How do different people reason work? Is Hume’s philosophy right? This all may be lost in the slippery road of philosophy. We can even question the field of philosophy itself, was philosophy created to justify propagandas and fables? Just like Darwin’s theory may have? Is history the truth? Winston Churchill once said: “The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that, when nations are strong, they are not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are no longer strong.”
“Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.” – Plato
