Editor’s Note: Welcome to our first edition of Perspective, opinions written by the student body.
David McCullough once said, “History is a guide to navigation in perilous times (1984)”. McCullough was extremely influential because of the books he wrote about American history. He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his great work. Because he was so involved in history, it makes sense he would have said this famous quote. McCullough lived from 1933 to 2022, which saw great advancement and change. This was a time of reflection to learn from past mistakes and move forward.
This quote means that by studying and understanding past historical events we can learn to overcome challenges in the future. There are so many accounts of what went wrong and what went well in the past. By examining the choices made, we can learn how not to repeat mistakes and how to recreate victories. By being aware of historical patterns and outcomes, we can make more informed choices to make the world better.
This quote will always apply to today’s society because history always evolves. It will never end. Especially now with new technologies being developed. It is important to look back on history and not repeat detrimental mistakes.
New technologies such as gene editing and AI have never been seen before, so it is hard to know where they will go in the future, what can be done, and what should be done. Looking back on history, we can more clearly see the pros and cons of a situation. For example, the atomic bomb. This was a significant advancement that defended the United States but also killed around 214,000 people. By looking at history, we can learn why this choice was made and the outcome of that choice. We can compare it to things like AI and Gene editing. We must ask ourselves questions like: How far can AI go? What will it look like 100 years from now? What should gene editing be used for? Will we be able to create the perfect soldier? Is it right to ‘play God’? History can help us find these answers.
Students need to study history to understand the past and avoid repeating mistakes. Especially because we are the next generation. We have a chance to fix and better the world around us. History prepares us for the future to create change. If we don’t know how to move forward the best place to look is in the past, from there we can be guided towards progress.
