Quote Originally Posted by cajunscot View Post
I'll respond with two quotes I use on my course syallbus:

History repeats itself because no one was listening the first time.
-- Anonymous

A people without history is like the wind on the buffalo grass.
-- Lakota Sioux saying

The past has a direct bearing on the present, good and bad. Those who do not study the past are doomed to repeat it.

T.
Perhaps I phrased that badly but I would hope that my intention was clear.

We learn from history but have to understand that it is not the absolute determining factor that controls our behavior in the present. I would further comment that history has been distorted many times in order to provide excuses for what I can only refer to as evil behavior and there were a whole lot of people who thought that the distorted version was the absolute truth...did that excuse their actions or inactions? It's Rashomon....there is no one absolutely objective correct opinion on what actually happened and once an event is over, all we have is opinions.

To get back to the genetics aspect of the thread; I'm not going to base my opinion of anyone on their genetics...it's interesting to hear about this theory but it's really academic...neat theory to consider, though.

Best

AA