This episode’s vocabulary
Inform our understanding
phrase — to provide knowledge that shapes or influences one's comprehension. → Studying past mistakes can inform our understanding of present-day politics.
Progressed
verb — to have developed to a more advanced or mature state. → Technology has progressed rapidly over the last two decades.
Reflect on
phrasal verb — to think deeply or carefully about something. → It's important to reflect on your achievements at the end of the year.
Exceptionalism
noun — the belief that a particular country, society, or group is special and superior to others. → The politician's speech was full of a sense of national exceptionalism.
Underdog
noun — a competitor thought to have little chance of winning a fight or contest. → Everyone loves a story where the underdog wins against all odds.
Track major shifts
phrase — to follow and understand significant changes in trends, thoughts, or systems. → Economists track major shifts in consumer spending to predict market trends.
Cognitive development
noun — the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem-solving, and decision-making. → Early childhood education is crucial for a child's cognitive development.
Cope with
phrasal verb — to deal effectively with something difficult. → It took him a long time to cope with the loss of his job.
Linguistic facility
noun — the natural aptitude or skill for learning and using languages. → She has a great linguistic facility and can switch between three languages effortlessly.
Buy into
phrasal verb — to completely believe in an idea. → I don't buy into the idea that you have to be ruthless to be successful.
Get to grips with
idiom — to begin to understand and deal with a difficult subject or problem. → I'm still trying to get to grips with the new software.
Optimal
adjective — best or most favorable. → We need to find the optimal solution that benefits everyone.
Pick things up
phrasal verb — to learn something new informally or without conscious effort. → Children often pick things up very quickly just by listening to adults.
From an early age
idiom — starting when one is very young, in childhood. → She learned to play the violin from an early age.
Questions and answers
Is it important to learn how people in the past lived their lives?
Well, definitely. It can help inform our understanding of why we live the way we do and how things have progressed, or gotten worse depending on how you look at it. And how we might improve things. If we can understand how we got into a situation, we could have a better chance of getting out of it, I think.
Do you think that will also be true in the future?
Assuming people are able to reflect on what they've done or what other people have done, then yes, I think so.
Besides understanding big historical events, what else is important when learning history?
Lots of things. I mean, a solid understanding of history can reinforce how a person feels about their present situation or how they see their country in relation to others. For example, British and American histories often try to give those countries a sense of exceptionalism and how they might be destined to always win even in difficult situations. Others paint them as the underdog that always resists and that can help them in times of national crisis, like in occupied France in World War Two. We can also track major shifts or trends in thought and economies, like what happened in the industrial revolution. So we can also use it to make predictions about the future or comment on what's happened.
Do you think people should learn ancient history before learning modern history?
Maybe. I mean, it's important they know how our past reaches back beyond the more immediate decades, but the level of detail might depend on things like their cognitive development and interests. I mean, for example, young children probably couldn't cope with learning about changes in agriculture that happened about ten thousand years ago, but they should learn that we didn't always have such easy access to food and things weren't organized or weren't always organized in such a complex way, like they are now.
How do children learn history before they attend school?
Well, I suppose a lot of it is personal history, like hearing family stories and about the origins of various traditions. They might be very lucky like I was and be handed some books or see some TV shows or films that give a simplified version of past events too.
At what age do you think people should begin to learn history?
I don't know if there's an optimal age to start learning about it. People just naturally pick things up as they get older. Learning that the world changes over time is something most people sort of naturally understand. But learning about how and why it happens, I mean, that probably has to wait until they at least have some kind of linguistic facility development even just so they can understand what's being said and talk about it. So it could be very young.
Do you think children should begin learning history from an early age?
I don't think there's a way to avoid it, to be honest. Either they start at school or when they are younger or they could get it from their friends and family. At least if they start at school young, they can develop a critical understanding of the concept of history, or at least a chance to just so they don't buy into absolutely everything that gets said.