Welcome to Gaia! ::

Rules:

1. Please only post when the class is open.
2. You may only claim credit for the class once you have been quoted that you have received a passing grade.
3. Should you not pass the class, you will be quoted that your student needs to retake the class and they may try again the next time the class is open.
4. Please write a short RP response when your character comes to class and turns in their homework to the professor. No length requirement.

'I believe there are two main reasons why it's important to record events. Consistency, for one. When word passes through mouth it can be easy for the original message to become distorted as individuals forget or omit parts of their knowledge, due to either time or prioritizing the pieces they believe to be important. When an event is written down the words will always be the same, even if the message or significance differs from person to person based on their own experiences or biases. Another reason is due to ease of spreading knowledge. When the information is spread by mouth you are limited to how many people come into contact with those who have the information. With someone well traveled this might not be as much of a problem, but there are many homebodies or insular villages who rarely see others. Once the person who holds the knowledge dies, whatever they knew is gone forever. If recorded their knowledge will greatly surpass their own life, and can be copied many times over to spread to far more people than they themselves might have come into contact with. As an example of both reasons, picture tax records, an seemingly insignificant item which can give you a look into what a village or region might have prospered in and how well they did with it, and thus is a valuable historical record. With the numbers and facts written down, one does not have to worry about forgetting a particular item that might seem insignificant, nor if they shipped 31 bushels of wheat or 41. Others who might need to know this information can find where it is recorded, instead of having to hunt down the poor fellow whose job it is to remember these things and constantly interrupt his work for information.

What is worth recording is more difficult to determine. The answer will sometimes vary from race to race, as it depends on what they place the most emphasis on as important, and even then it may vary from region to region. A record of agricultural history of a particular region may be more important to a family than a book of high class etiquette, though that same book might be invaluable to someone of the high class who risks offending someone of equal or higher rank if they so much as eat with the wrong spoon. I believe major events are well worth recording though, such as battles, wars, destructive weather events, and changes in government. These give us stepping stones with which we can look back into time, though it is the little details and records of day to day happenings which can give you a better view into a culture, and thus create a sense of empathy with the people of the past.'

Topaz hesitated over her paper, wondering if she should add more details or be more specific, or if the paper was too muddled. After reading it through a few more times she decided it would suffice, and if the teacher wished her to add anything else she would be happy to expound.

Adagio looked over the prompt and settled in her seat to get started on the assignment. Seemed like a simple enough prompt.

"Recording history is important because history is something you learn from. It's important to take into account lessons from the past, to make a change for the better and not cause a similar result as someone in the past.

Anything that results in a drastic change, usually in society, qualifies as worth recording for historical prosperity, regardless of if the drastic change was good or bad. The lesson should be recorded in the long run for future generations to learn from. Recording changes in society is necessary to see what worked in our culture and what didn't. By learning from these historical records, we can advance as a whole, learning from our roots and carrying on towards a better and brighter future.

After all, it's as that old saying goes: Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Warren tapped his pen to paper thoughtfully for a few minutes while considering the questions being asked as well as their ramifications. Ultimately he decided on a course, bouncing his leg as he drew the pen across paper with neat, precise strokes going exactly where he wanted them.

[While there can be little doubt but that the archiving process is extremely useful and necessary, there is potentially very little difference between the quality and accuracy of governmental records versus personal diaries.

Both will be subjective and colored by the perceptions of the authors though with one set the minutia of daily life will be displayed, skewed towards the personal proclivities and perceptions of the writer while the other will tend more towards sweeping generalities based upon what the current group in power wants to be made public record.

In this manner, personal archiving in the form of journals, diaries, recorded accounts in audio and/or video, and aural stories passed through generations can be more accurately reflective of the state of living on a daily basis. For example, during a war if one is perusing government records one will often find that the story is generally being told from only one perspective - that of the victor - and that any failures will be either glossed over as unimportant or completely removed so that the history recorded more ‘accurately’ shows the history that the government agencies prefer be circulated.

Personal accounts (journals/diaries/etc) can often help in clarifying muddy or uncertain events by adding the individual experience back into what often reads as a large, faceless mass of beings facing another large, faceless mass of beings until one side is defeated. Gathering many such accounts from various places and positions during the event can be extremely illuminating and useful for filling in the aforementioned gaps more accurately, though one must naturally keep in mind that - as will all such documents - the views are extremely personal and entirely subjective depending on that individual’s circumstances, belief systems, socio-economic status, and participation level in said event.

Thusly, the most reliable source for archiving information would be a mixture of all potential sources, rather than just one. Or, barring that, the collected research of a neutral third-party whom has no ties to the government nor any civilian group that might be interested in tailoring history to suit their own agenda(s) (such as some religious organizations, the government, and militant and/or activist groups).]

Warren leaned back in his chair, rolling his shoulders and flexing his fingers after putting away his pen. He was so stiff, but it was no wonder - he’d spent quite a while writing his paper! The Geist collected his belongings before stepping to the desk to turn in his paper; with that done he headed off to get something to eat before his next class.

I honestly don't think either one is more reliable than the other. Both accounts could be completely askew and biased, though on the same hand you could find truths in both. There are a lot of things that the Government might leave out for various reasons, perhaps to make things seem like what they did is right, even when it wasn't. In the same regard, a person could do the same or completely blow something out of proportion or may not even know the whole story themselves so they come to a conclusion that isn't true. For those reasons, I think it's best to read all accounts of history and form your own opinion. You might not be right, but at least you've taken the time to consider both accounts. Question everything, and by doing so you may gain the knowledge you need to make an informed decision.

The answer was a bit more simplistic than she had wanted to write, but she was satisfied that it was concise and to the point. She had always been the type to always verify when people told her how things were, you never knew when they might be lying or bending the truth.

Topaz's immediate response would have been a resounding NO! She had to pause and try to think it through, like really think it through. Her answer was still the same, but she could see where perhaps there might be certain grey areas.

"I...personally do not like the idea of historical editing. It can cloud or muddy things, cause unnecessary tensions, or omit vital clues or answers to questions we have today."

She hesitated, then continued. "I can understand why it might be done. Some people have rather fragile faith or belief, and the knowledge of certain truths could shatter those beliefs. In the case of governing bodies the omission of information might be all that stands between them and outright civil war. While I still find it unpalatable, if the choice is between rewriting history or massive upheaval and loss of many lives, it may be more ethical to try to save life."

Topaz's jaw hardened a little. "However I still find it quite unethical in most cases and open to abuse, such as keeping corrupt higher powers in their place or glossing over atrocities that have been done to others as patriotism."