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History repeats itself in the actions of mankind not the events themselves. Wars will continue to be fought. Governments will rise and fall. People will invent. People will die and be born, etc, etc. To think that actual events will be repeated and not the actions of the world's caretakers is beyond reason. History only repeats itself, because humans never learn anything from their past mistakes.
Want proof? How long have most Senators and Congressman been in Washington? More then 1 term? Yes.
Why do divorced people general have a second failed marriage as well? They end up marrying the exact same type of person as they did the first time.
These are just a couple of examples of history repeating itself.
People don't have the capacity to do anything really 'new' yet, so everything that's been happening has already happened before, and was only slightly improved upon and will happen again.
There's a saying "Those who don't learn history, are doomed to repeat it."-George Santayana. It means if we don't learn from our mistakes we'll make the same ones not knowing what went wrong. We make the same mistakes if we don't learn why they were wrong, because the mistakes we make seem right when we first happen upon them.
So yea, history repeats itself because people can't help but make the same mistakes their ancestors did, if they don't learn about them first.
History repeats itself? Tell me. In any year before the 1940's did someone in history ever touch the moon?
People don't have the capacity to do anything really 'new' yet, so everything that's been happening has already happened before, and was only slightly improved upon and will happen again.
Oh okay. Tell a business man his innovative ideas aren't really innovative.
Abby, History repeats itself? Tell me. In any year before the 1940's did someone in history ever touch the moon?
Let me ask you; When man did touch the moon, was this the first man accomplished something that wasn't done before? No. History shows us that man will continue to out do himself, therefore history has been repeated.
It can rhyme. It cannot repeat. The factors involved are far too different. History can only rhyme with the future or present or the past. It will not repeat because factors will always be different.
But I showed you that it does, meaning I'm correct.
The example I showed you was of two different times in history, where people didn't learn from past mistakes (enslaving a country) and history repeated itself (a war broke free).
But I showed you that it does, meaning I'm correct.
I can say the same thing about our travel to the moon.Making me correct. This doesn't make you correct. My statement more likely make me correct.
The example I showed you was of two different times in history, where people didn't learn from past mistakes (enslaving a country) and history repeated itself (a war broke free).
Europe always had war. That isn't history repeating itself. That is just war.
where people didn't learn from past mistakes (enslaving a country) and history repeated itself (a war broke free).
This right here is balls funny. It happened back then. It isn't history repeating itself especially when so many factors are different. Don't try to make some awesome argument in hopes of it leaning your way. Some people can see through it. Because I also showed you that it doesn't.
I can say the same thing about our travel to the moon.Making me correct. This doesn't make you correct. My statement more likely make me correct.
The question asks does history repeat itself. You say no, but I show you evidence that it does. Your moon example is flawed though. That is an example of a first, you know what was also a first? Slavery in egypt, you know when it repeated itself? Slavery in America, among other places.
Europe always had war. That isn't history repeating itself. That is just war.
If an act is being repeated, it's being repeated I don't see how you are even disputing this. The reason for the wars is what is relevant. The war, for freedom, that America had is a first. The war, for freedom, Ireland had was a repeat.
"No, history does not repeat itself literally. That is a simplistic interpretation of a series of quotes (by Marx, Darrow, Shaw all based upon Thucidydes original quote of "History repeats itself.").
As others have pointed out, no two events are exactly the same. The problem with claiming Iraq is another Vietnam is you destroy your credibility because of all the ways they're different. Ditto with any other two events.
Besides Thucidydes did not literally mean that the world is predestined and unchangeable and keeps returning to stuff that happened before. Instead, Thucidydes had a more sophisticated interpretation when he said this. That simple statement meant...
1. If you ignore history you will become victim to it. There is value in studying the past. You don't just learn history, you become more astute about understanding people's motives and anticipating the future. Not because history "repeats" itself but by studying the past we learn about how people act and why so we can better read current events and thus prepare for the future.
2. There are archetypes. Thucidydes didn't know to call them this. But there are ways that societies and organizations and masses behave as a system that allows us to see and anticipate behavior. When it rains in the foothills of India, a day later the banks of the Ganges overflow. That's not the ill-will of the gods, just a case of seeing how one action begats another. The classic archetype is Garrett Hardin's "Tragedy of the Commons" (which he tells using sheepherders and common grazing round but applies equally as well to the office coffee maker or shared space at your condo).
3. Dumb people make the same mistakes over and over--they don't learn. So it appears that "history" ends up "repeating" itself (when actually it's a statement about wise people learning from their errors and adjusting their actions accordingly)." - Agility Man
As others have pointed out, no two events are exactly the same.
Really? So you're going with the 'bare technical terms' argument?
Obviously no two events are the exact same, yet when you're hanging with your people and something happens that happened before you say "that happened before" or something similar to it. No one's debating literally, if we were it wouldn't be a debate it'd be a factual statement of history not being able to repeat itself because no two events can ever be the exact same. Instead it's asking if the events of history ever happen in a way closely resembling one another. A series of events that lead to a similar result is history repeating itself. Example: Britain oppresses a country, that country retaliates with war for it's independence. This happened on at least two separate occasions.
1. If you ignore history you will become victim to it.
Do you know what that means? If you don't learn from your mistakes, you're likely to make them again. Britain did not learn from it's oppression over America, and did the same to Ireland, and had a similar event occur.
So it appears that "history" ends up "repeating" itself (when actually it's a statement about wise people learning from their errors and adjusting their actions accordingly)."
You just basically agreed that history does indeed repeat. People make the same mistakes if they don't learn, which is what the poetic statement means.
If sayings like these were meant to be taken literally I doubt any would make sense. Take "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day, Teach a man to fish feed him for a lifetime" literally the knowledge of fishing doesn't ensure you will have food for the rest of your days. A number of events could occur that lead to the fish dying, or amnesia taking you, etc. It means, poetically of course, that by giving someone knowledge, over a quick fix, you make them better equipped to survive on their own, or become good at any endeavor they pursue.
No one's debating literally, if we were it wouldn't be a debate it'd be a factual statement of history not being able to repeat itself because no two events can ever be the exact same. Instead it's asking if the events of history ever happen in a way closely resembling one another.
They don't repeat. However the do rhyme.
Do you know what that means? If you don't learn from your mistakes, you're likely to make them again. Britain did not learn from it's oppression over America, and did the same to Ireland, and had a similar event occur.
Two different factors. Ireland and America are completely different. What about the other places they got too? Obviuosly they were just trying to be a dominate country.
You just basically agreed that history does indeed repeat. People make the same mistakes if they don't learn, which is what the poetic statement means.
Poetically it is off. It rhymes though but will not repeat itself especially sense factors are extremely different.
Take "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day, Teach a man to fish feed him for a lifetime" literally the knowledge of fishing doesn't ensure you will have food for the rest of your days. A number of events could occur that lead to the fish dying, or amnesia taking you, etc.
Then the statement cannot be 100% applicable. Thanks for pointing that out.
It means, poetically of course, that by giving someone knowledge, over a quick fix, you make them better equipped to survive on their own, or become good at any endeavor they pursue.
Two different factors. Ireland and America are completely different. What about the other places they got too? Obviuosly they were just trying to be a dominate country.
Two different times, the same basic goal, the same basic result. The act of history repeating itself is that they tried to be a dominate country to a country that wouldn't stand under oppression, and history very much repeated itself because of those mistakes they didn't learn from.
Then the statement cannot be 100% applicable. Thanks for pointing that out.
The statement doesn't diminish the quote because no one takes it literal. The saying if used probably won't even involve fish. So does that mean every saying is incorrect?
Oh yes your mind is to small to understand the definition of the word "rhyme". That is what truly happens.
Two different times, the same basic goal, the same basic result. The act of history repeating itself is that they tried to be a dominate country to a country that wouldn't stand under oppression, and history very much repeated itself because of those mistakes they didn't learn from.
No. Trying something like that is just them being a country in that era. They had the power to do so. So they went for it.
and history very much repeated itself because of those mistakes they didn't learn from.
This is shit. Literally, let's apply your logic to everything that has happened so far.
War - Almost every country has gotten into war before because of a dispute or belief they had. This does not mean history repeats itself. Too many factors would be different.
Every time America went to war is history repeating itself? No. Factors are different. For example. Revolutionary War vs WWII. Both were wars and there fore history repeated itself. That is your logic. This isn't the case. One was a fight for liberation from a monarch and freedom and independence from that monarch. WWII primarily did not even involve us nor did it require us to fight for liberation from someone or independence from someone. These factors are completely different. Just like you said with slavery. Conditions were different. Egypt had slavery. America had slavery. However the factors of the two were completely different.
The statement doesn't diminish the quote because no one takes it literal. The saying if used probably won't even involve fish. So does that mean every saying is incorrect?
Nope means it isn't applicable 100% of the time. Like I just said.
Hardly relevant.
Relevant with your post. Unless you are delusional.
Oh yes your mind is to small to understand the definition of the word "rhyme". That is what truly happens.
I don't quite understand what rhyming has to do with history repeating itself, sorry if my intellect is too small to detect the genius in that statement.
No. Trying something like that is just them being a country in that era. They had the power to do so. So they went for it.
I literally don't know how simpler to explain the example. Two separate events, happened in very similar ways for very similar reasons, if you do not see that as history repeating itself then I can explain it no further.
This is shit. Literally, let's apply your logic to everything that has happened so far.
As my logic dictates, disregarding your examples that misused it, if people follow a similar path that led to a folly as their predecessors, and the result that their predecessors encountered occurs to them, history has repeated itself.
I don't quite understand what rhyming has to do with history repeating itself, sorry if my intellect is too small to detect the genius in that statement.
Thats cool. I know its a genius statement.
I literally don't know how simpler to explain the example. Two separate events, happened in very similar ways for very similar reasons, if you do not see that as history repeating itself then I can explain it no further.
If history repeats itself then things must literally repeat meaning factors will be the same. If it is similar then it "rhymes" but doesn't repeat. There are always different factors so history doesnt repeat itself.
As my logic dictates, disregarding your examples that misused it, if people follow a similar path that led to a folly as their predecessors, and the result that their predecessors encountered occurs to them, history has repeated itself.
As your logic dictates? Dictates what? History doesnt repeat so what can you possibly dictate? Also you said similar which favors my side for history can "rhyme" but never repeat. History does not repeat itself. You are only qualifying my side.
If history repeats itself then things must literally repeat meaning factors will be the same. If it is similar then it "rhymes" but doesn't repeat.
No, that's not at all what the saying means. Nothing literally repeats. A scientist doesn't exactly repeat all of his/her experiments. They are all slightly different than preceding time, yet we say it was repeated because the same steps was take to achieve the same result. That's the same case when the same mistakes (steps) people in history make, are repeated by people in the present that end in the same result.
If it is similar then it "rhymes" but doesn't repeat.
That's too literal. That's not at all what the saying or the question implies. Things, that are that similar to one another are repeated, as the scientist example I gave.
No, that's not at all what the saying means. Nothing literally repeats. A scientist doesn't exactly repeat all of his/her experiments. They are all slightly different than preceding time, yet we say it was repeated because the same steps was take to achieve the same result. That's the same case when the same mistakes (steps) people in history make, are repeated by people in the present that end in the same result.
Sorry bro you are spiraling down. This is example of a historical rhyme since factors are still different. You are only weakening your argument.
That's too literal. That's not at all what the saying or the question implies. Things, that are that similar to one another are repeated, as the scientist example I gave.
The question doesn't imply my answer? How so? The question ask "Does history repeat itself?" I say no but it rhymes. How does that not answer the question? Also too literal? No. You know it is right. Yet you are denying simple logic. Take music for example. If someone says repeat that beat. You repeat that beat. Repeat that tune. You repeat that tune. Make the same tune but in a different sounds. You play the same tune in a different sounds. The factor here is that the music will come close to paralleling the original yet you did not repeat it because it was different. You did something different. However it does "rhyme".
Okay then if for something to repeat it has to happen exactly the same way it did before nothing repeats ever, and that word shouldn't even exist, since as you said every single solitary event is unique.
You repeat that beat.
Nope you can't repeat the beat, they'd be unique because not only do they happen at different times, but the pace or way you play it wouldn't be the exact same way the first person did it. It'd rhyme though.
Why yes , people are still killing each other everyday , everywhere , for their own good or not , and there is always something dying every second its just that we don't know what , when or where . Maybe the process can be different but the outcome was all the same .
Broaden a construct enough and you can say that something has been "repeated" over time.
In reality, we're just generalizing.
Every event is unique. History is merely the documentation of current events for future recanting. As more and more events occur, we'll find ways to lump them into groups. The Civil War was much different from the Vietnam War, yet after so many years they're just wars. Same thing with new cures vs. old cures, new modes of transportation vs. old modes of transportation, media, physical theories, etc.
History is always happening. Everything that happens is history. Every historical event is unique, so history does not repeat itself, its just that some event are sometimes similar.
