Topic: Churchill's rage over the loss of Singapore

42RM · November 22nd, 2011

The leaders of WWII were simply operating from the perceptions of their time. We cannot expect the people of the past to conform to our understanding of right and wrong any more than we could ask President Barack Obama to govern from the paradigm of those living 100 years in the future. If judged by today’s standards, even the greatest of our historical heroes become monsters.

I believe fair judgment requires both knowledge of historical context and scrutiny from today’s standards. To adopt either view exclusively would be to commit to an incomplete understanding of who these people were and what they did. To the extent that our national heroes stood for progress and advancement, they should be admired, even if some of their beliefs haven’t stood the test of time.
As Harvey Dent learned the hard way, it is difficult to be a decent man in an indecent time.

November 22nd, 2011
42RM	The leaders of WWII were simply operating from the perceptions of their time. We cannot expect the people of the past to conform to our understanding of right and wrong any more than we could ask President Barack Obama to govern from the paradigm of those living 100 years in the future. If judged by today’s standards, even the greatest of our historical heroes become monsters. I believe fair judgment requires both knowledge of historical context and scrutiny from today’s standards. To adopt either view exclusively would be to commit to an incomplete understanding of who these people were and what they did. To the extent that our national heroes stood for progress and advancement, they should be admired, even if some of their beliefs haven’t stood the test of time. As Harvey Dent learned the hard way, it is difficult to be a decent man in an indecent time.