ScottP

Hello all: Powell History is especially privileged to have among its honor roll of students former Latin teacher, now comedian extraordinaire, TELLER, of the famous duo "Penn & Teller." Every since joining a recent class of A First History for Adults, Teller has been among my most accomplished students, and without a doubt my most enthusiastic supporter. What exactly does Teller have to say about Powell History? Simply put: "JOIN NOW!" To read more, simply go to: http://www.powellhistory.com/tellerspeaks/ Best, Scott Powell.

I wonder if there are Objectivists out there with specific knowledge about homeschooling that might be able to help raise awareness of this program. Do you have a favorite homeschooling website or blog? Do you know someone who might like to supplement their child's education with a product of this kind? Any marketing advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Scott Powell Teacher, Remote History Program VanDamme Academy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Scott Powell Remote History Program VanDamme Academy 25201 Paseo de Alicia, Suite 105 Laguna Hills, CA, 92653 Phone: 949-510-3737 http://www.vandammeacademy.com VanDamme Academy, an acclaimed private school in Orange County, CA founded by noted Objectivist educator Lisa Vandamme has a developed system for providing its comprehensive history curriculum to homeschoolers and parents everywhere. The school has named this educational initiative the "Remote History Program." Starting in September 2006, VanDamme Academy's elementary grades history teacher, Scott Powell, will offer classes to students across the country. Mr. Powell explains, "Our program spans the entire history of the West, from Ancient Egypt to Modern America. This year, to keep the program synchronized with our own curriculum, we will be offering the history of Europe (from AD 300 to the present)." The story of Europe, Mr. Powell elaborates, "is both an exciting story in its own right, and an important background and foil to the development of America. We will look at the emergence of Europe out of the Dark Ages, following the fall of Rome, and the evolution of its various nations up to the present day, noting especially the role of Christianity and monarchy in shaping their cultures. Quite simply, it is an amazing epic, with both shocking villains and powerful heroes. Children love it!" "To make this program available as widely as possible," explains Ms. VanDamme, "Mr. Powell's lectures will be broadcast both as live teleconferences, which teachers and their students can attend by phone, and by internet, via the school's website. In this latter format, students will be able to access recorded lectures on their own time, if the class times are not convenient. This truly represents an unprecedented opportunity for students everywhere to access an essential curriculum component that has sadly been displaced in public and private schools alike." The Remote History program is now accepting enrollment applications. Parents and teachers are directed to the program's webpage: www.vandammeacademy.com/rhp.

As is customary in PHR, I would like to recommend a book that will benefit adult students of history. This month's recommendation is especially important to me personally, because it's about the nineteenth century, a part of history for which I have found it very difficult to get good resources. The book is "Europe Since 1815" by Charles Downer Hazen (Henry Holt and Company, 1910). Although I'm still reading it, and thus my recommendation has to be considered somewhat provisional, there's no doubt in my mind that this is a great book. Normally, when one reads about the nineteenth century, one either has to contend with books that focus on too narrow a topic (such as the revolutions of 1848) or too restricted a theme (such as the rise of Nationalism). More often, studies are confined to the story of a single nation, such as Italy or Germany. It is easy to see why this is the case, because the nineteenth century is the most complicated period in history! By contrast, the 20th century, with its obvious large-scale convulsions, is straightforward! Unfortunately, the result is that one cannot expect to grasp this period as a whole without dedicating oneself to it full time. The onus is on the reader of history to integrate this topic, since historians have not. At least, no one has demonstrated the slightest hope of doing so to me, until Hazen. He has a way of selecting out the facts that are important to the broad progression of events, and discarding the minutiae that normally clutters history books. Consequently, his narrative is purposeful and easy to follow. In recognition of the complexity of the political history of this time, Hazen carefully dissects the sum and presents it in manageable units (such as the story of Spain and Italy from 1812 to 1822.) Crucially, however, one never gets the sense that the telling of one part of the story is disconnected from the rest. Hazen always asserts the broader context and demonstrates the significance of what he is presenting. The only drawback of "Europe Since 1815" is that it is 736 pages. That means it really isn't an ideal place to *start* learning about the nineteenth century. The solution is, of course, to take "A First History for Adults, Part 2 - Europe: Context and Foil" (starting in January), or, at least to read "Modern Progress" by Willis Mason West, as previously recommended in PHR, to get some context. Once you've made a proper start on the whole story, though, Hazen will take you the rest of the way when it comes to this challenging part of history! Best, Scott Powell [email protected]

Hello all: I'm thrilled to announce that the fourth class of "A First History for Adults," a.k.a. Session 4, begins this Wednesday night (July 19). This course, recommended in the Objective Standard and Noodlefood, is the history of Western civilization as it could and ought to be, designed for adult students of Objectivism based on my years of study and teaching at VanDamme Academy. And there's still time to sign up for Session 4! Learn more about the full Powell History curriculum at www.powellhistory.com. Don't torture yourself by buying dozens of old books and trying to piece together the story of man's past on your own! Don't waste your time reading "disinterested," disintegrated modern monographs. Learn about history as an exciting, causally integrated narrative! Best, Scott. [email protected].

In past issues of PHR, I have tended to focus on specific subjects (such as Prince Henry "the Navigator" or French History). In this issue, I want to take the time to recommend a historian, whose range of historical works I am confident will satisfy any reader. That historian is John Fiske. John Fiske (1842-1901) is a writer whose works have helped me to understand major topics in American history. His book, "The Critical Period of American History, 1783-1789," is definitely the best book I know of on the subject of the period immediately following the Revolutionary War. Another of his important titles is "The Discovery of America" (2 vols.), which has given me a deeper appreciation of the true place of Columbus in world history. For books that examine delimited topics, Fiske's are remarkably accessible. Not surprisingly, this follows from the key premises that animate his work. In the preface to The Critical Period, Fiske writes, "I have aimed especially at grouping facts in such a way as to bring out and emphasize their causal sequence." If this weren't enough reason to recommend his works, Fiske is also obviously an admirer of the values that move history forward and that made America, and this makes his books all the more pleasurable to read. He writes admiringly of Columbus, and bluntly dismisses the Vikings (after accurately relaying the story of their wanderings). His admiration of the Founding Fathers, who, as he explains, "gave us a form of government under which we have just completed a century unparalleled for peace and prosperity," is obviously genuine. Fiske seems to have an especially keen sense of what is true and important to know about history. As I scan the list of Fiske's writings, I am struck by the fact that he also seems to have been an advocate of the philosophy of Herbert Spencer, and that he wrote some interesting sounding titles on philosophy, but I cannot speak to the quality of those works. I recommend Fiske as a historian only. Though I haven't yet gotten to them myself, I look forward to reading his "The War of Independence" and "The Beginnings of New England," among other titles. Best, Scott Powell [email protected]

GREAT BOOKS AND AUTHORS ----------------------------------- As perhaps everyone who receives PHR knows by now, I am a great advocate of old (and very old) history books. Although it is true that modern scholarship has added a few decimal places of precision to a good number of historical facts, there is no question in my mind that this increased precision has come at the expense of a proper focus on integration. And the latter, I must insist, is a far greater value than the former. For instance, what great harm is done to you as a reader if you memorize that the Tarquin Kings were expelled from Rome c.508 BC or c.509 BC? What great loss is it if you know about Ferdinand Magellan, but don't know the life story of Sebastian del Cano (the man who took over after Magellan was killed in the Philippines)? The idea of the birth of the Roman Republic and the idea of the Age of Discovery are far more crucial to grasp, if you want to understand history. By this standard "The Growth of the French Nation" by George B. Adams (Chautauqua Century Press, 1896) is a great history book. Written in 1896, there are sure to be minute inaccuracies in it--though I haven't found any--but what is striking about the book is that it is written with a clear, valid historical theme. Whether it is with an eye to later American history, or to understand Europe for itself, what stands out about the story of France is the character of its national growth, both culturally and in terms of government. It is the distinctive evolution of France's national monarchy during the Middle Ages that sets it apart from all its neighbors, though most importantly its rivals England and Germany. To present this theme Adams is highly selective in his presentation. As he explains, "I have endeavored...to resist the temptation to use the space at my command for other facts, however interesting, if they do not seem to bear upon the national growth." Consequently, he creates an accessible, enjoyable single-volume history of France. A great place to start for any reader! POWELL HISTORY RECOMMENDS WEBPAGE -------------------------------------------------- The PHR webpage is COMING SOON! In developing the elementary grades history curriculum at VanDamme Academy and in creating 1HFA, I've struggled to find books that render the story of past intelligible and engaging, and that facilitate the integration of history into a single unified whole. Every month, I will offer up more suggested readings for those of you on my mailing list, and I will supplement these with a more general guide to the best sources I know of by posting them on my website. Look for it in the coming weeks at my website: www.powellhistory.com. Regards, Scott Powell.

Nicholas: I agree. Please see "Powell History Recommends," both here on the forum under "Book Reviews/Non-fiction," and as a service that I will be expanding on my website: www.powellhistory.com. (Currently PHR operates as part of my mailing list.) Regards, Scott.

What is the worst event in history? Since it involves judging or evaluating history, this type of question naturally tends to yield both subjective and intrinsicist answers. The subjective or personal answer--by the original questioner--focusses on the significance of the event in one's own life. The question is answered by measuring the impact of history on one's own values, here and now. In this context it's not surprising to find someone answering that 9/11 is the worst event in history. It was a jarring event, and we'll always be scarred by it. But in the intrinsicist interpretation, the question doesn't rightly pertain to one's personal life. If it's to be answered "objectively," in this approach, you have to do a body count. Accordingly, the event in which the most number of people died, the most life was lost, is the worst. It is the worst because life--not your life, but life in general--is the standard, so you just look for how many people died, and then you know which was the "worst." Leaving aside the problem of defining what an "event" is, as opposed to a "period" or "era," the people who have answered that the Russian Revolution, the Rise of Christianity, the Rise of Islam are the worst "events" all seem to be answering along this axis. (I'll happily accept being corrected on this, if that's not the case, but I can't see how something like the Spread of Islam can be viewed as the most negative event from the perspective of one's life today, unless one lives in an Islamic theocracy. Nor can Christianity be viewed as the greatest negative, because in the United States we enjoy freedom of religion.) I think that the objective answer is to be found by answering: what event, by the standard of life, negatively conditioned the world into which I came, is harming me now, and will continue to undermine the entire field of value-pursuits for me, in every major area, over the course of my whole life as a conceptual being. By that standard, I agree that the publication of the Critique of Pure Reason in 1781 is the worst event in history. This is the objective answer, whether you are living in Communist North Korea, Islamic Iran, or the United States, because it has to do with life for man qua man. It is Kant's wrong answers to the most fundamental questions about man's faculty of reason, and the enduring impact of his answers--in the form of his influence on the moral and political philosophy of Hegel, Marx, James, et al. that trickled down into the statist politics of Lenin, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Roosevelt (both of them), Clinton and Bush (to give just a short list). Kant's view that man is made of "crooked timber" is at the root of environmentalism, the debasement of art, and collectivist economics. Pragmatism and Neo-Conservatism, which intellectually disarm America, and prevent it from defending itself, are both offshoots of Kantianism. Kant's influence also trickles down into history, which the original poster bemoans as a corrupt discipline affecting his life. The publication of Kant's Critique is not as obviously traumatic as 9/11, but Kant's presence is continual and pervasive, for the bad. The destructive power of the publication of his book is so great that TNT is far too minute a unit of measurement for it. As a historian, I don't think the fact that this is the case is "academic." My life is at stake. My world is at stake. Every value I hold is in jeopardy because of Kant. It's important to identify how and why he is the worst human that ever lived, and the publication of his book is the worst event in history, so that his historical/causal presence in my life can be overturned. Regards, Scott. www.powellhistory.com

Greetings all: I've very happy to announce that the third concurrent class of "A First History for Adults," a.k.a. Session 3, begins this Tuesday night (May 2). This acclaimed course is the history of Western civilization as it could and ought to be, designed for adult students of Objectivism based on my years of study and teaching at VanDamme Academy. And there's still time to sign up for Session 3! Learn more about the full Powell History curriculum at www.powellhistory.com. Don't torture yourself by buying dozens of old books and trying to piece together the story of man's past on your own! Don't waste your time reading "disinterested," disintegrated modern mongraphs. Learn about history as an exciting, causally integrated narrative! Best, Scott. [email protected].

GREAT BOOKS AND AUTHORS ----------------------------------- Having written so admiringly about Prince Henry "the Navigator" in my last issue of PHR (register to get the full version in your inbox by going to the Powell History Mailing List Page), I thought I would help students of history out there learn more about this remarkable man. To start, however, I want to first warn readers away from anything written after 1980. I have to say that to peruse a modern historical monograph on any historical topic, whether it's a period or an individual, is the surest way to lose interest in that topic, especially if you are a first time reader. Modern historians, acting either on the premise of "scientific history," that every undigested aspect of the past is equally worthy of attention--or on the subjectivist premise that the history of Western civilization is merely one perspective--or on both!--do little more than obfuscate the past with overwrought narratives, full of minutiae and hateful theses. Works of this sort include "Prince Henry the Navigator," by Peter Russell (Yale University Press, 2001), which readers are advised to avoid like the plague. Unfortunately, modern popularizers of the past do less damage only by saying less. The quality of children's books on history has dropped so drastically, that I have not found any to recommend since I started looking. An example of a waste of time of this sort is "Prince Henry the Navigator," by Leonard Everett Fisher (Macmillan, 1990). Fortunately, through the wonderful institution of used bookstores, one can avoid the work of the most recent generation of historians and excavate an almost completely different view of the past. It is through used bookstores that one will encounter two kinds of books that are otherwise inacessible. One such type is books written in the latter nineteenth century, by which I mean from 1880 to 1914. Another type is popularizations of a topic--sometimes in the form of children's books--which can date as late as the 1970s. (1980 seems to be another of the turning points--downward--in the quality of historical writing similarly to 1914.) Of the first type, I recommend "Prince Henry the Navigator," by C. Raymond Beezley (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1903). This book is part of a series called "The Heroes of the Nations," which I haven't yet had time to sample more widely, but which looks fairly promising. Beezley is genuine admirer of Henry, and of the European explorers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. His focus is on the life of Prince Henry, which Beezley considers to be the "turning-point, the central epoch in a development of many centuries, which brought "European Expansion" its "greatest successes." Beezley usefully ties Prince Henry's work to the Renaissance by linking the rebirth of geography that Henry promoted to its classical roots and to the more generally flowering of geographical science during the great reawakening of the West. The usefulness of the chapters on the Vikings and Crusades is less certain, but the purposeful quality of the book resumes when the history of Portugal is taken up as an driving context to the Age of Discovery. One gets a sense of the challenges of the time, and of how Henry succeeded in overcoming them, and push the boundaries of knowledge. Quite appropriately, Beezley's telling ends by tying the story of Portuguese discovery to Henry's great successor, Columbus. Despite all that is good in Beezley's book, I must say that it rests nowhere near in my esteem to a seemingly simpler and humbler "children's" book written in 1973 by W.J. Jacobs, entitled, of course, "Prince Henry The Navigator". Jacob's book is also a part of a series: the "Visual Biography" series, by publishers Franklin Watts. What sets this work apart in my mind is that it is genuinely accessible to the first time reader of history, without being simplistic or childish. It is well structured, and written in a clear, flowing style. At only 51 pages in length--including ample and perfectly selected images--you can read it in one sitting. But then you can return to it to even greater advantage, because despite it's small size, this book is packed with good stuff! Not surprisingly, Jacobs singles out Beezley as a particular usefully reference, but there is no question in my mind that one should read Jacobs first, and second, AND third,...and then Beezley! I hope some of you will take me up on these recommendations, especially after hearing lecture 4 of A First History for Adults, Part 1 on Portugal and the Age of Discovery! I look forward to your thoughts on them. Regards, Scott Powell [email protected]

Hello all: As any student of "Invitation to History" and "A First History for Adults" knows, I consider Leopold von Ranke to the be the "Kant of History." It was his work, and that of his nineteenth century followers that forged the discipline of modern, value-barren "scientific" history. Fortunately, however, the penetration of Rankean premises into the work of American historians and history teachers was a gradual process. Some readers of history have no doubt heard that the best history books were written around the turn of the century (from c.1880 to c.1910). That is indeed true, and it is precisely because the Rankean takeover was gradual that such early histories are superior. Among the early histories of Western civilization written in the twentieth century, I am particularly happy to recommend "Modern Progress" by Willis Mason West, which was first published in 1931, and is available from any of the on-line used book stores, such as abebooks.com. West's theme is progress. He values present-day America, freedom, and technology, and he seeks to present the past in terms of the fundamentally positive progression, without, however, treating progress as an oversimplification. On the whole, "Modern Progress" is an admirable attempt to provide the whole history of the West in one accessible tome. Of course, West is not an Objectivist. His value system can only be described as "liberal Christian"--with all the attendant confusions and contradictions. Like many intellectuals of the period between the World Wars, he evinces a naive optimism about international relations during that time, and a disconcerting sympathy for communist Russia. The closer West gets to the 20th century, the more the facts he selects and the interpretations he gives are troubling. Also, West is sympathetic to religion in virtually all its forms, which creates obvious difficulties in the interpretation and evaluation of Christianity's role in the progress of Western civilization. Despite such flaws, however, West's telling is fundamentally successful, for the basic reason stated in the forward: "...history must leave no chasm between past and present," because the point of history is to study "the common adventure of mankind." As I've stated in my own lectures, I consider the rift between history and values to be the fundamental reason why historians have failed to make history accessible and relevant. As a historian, I've made it my personal mission to seal the breach, in part by creating "A First History for Adults", and it's exciting to find another scholar who has some sense of the same purpose--and who succeeds because of it! West's "Modern Progress" is definitely a resource that any adult student of history should have in their library. Regards, Scott Powell. www.powellhistory.com

"Invitation to History," my free infomercial for "A First History for Adults," is now available for anyone who would like to listen to it via the web. This lecture discusses the present state of the historical profession, with a special emphasis on the man I identify as the "Kant of History." Then I discuss the nature of history, and the challenges involved in acquiring historical knowledge. Finally, I explain the design of the PowellHistory curriculum for the history of Western civilization. Interested listeners should contact: [email protected]. Regards, Scott Powell. www.powellhistory.com P.S. Here's what some of my current students had to say recently about "A First History for Adults.": Scott's class rules and we'd recommend it to anyone!!! We love it. When he opens his diet root beer, we know it's time to rock. So, get your pencil and paper and join this fantastic class. -Anonymous

FEBRUARY 26TH - POWELL ON HISTORY - MARRIOTT DEL MAR, SAN DIEGO SCOTT POWELL will present a promotional lecture entitled "Invitation to History" to the the San Diego "Collective." The lecture, which is also being offered as a teleconference, open to potential attendees anywhere, will discuss the present state of history from an Objectivist perspective, with a special focus on the 19th century "Kant of History." Mr. Powell will then discuss the nature of history, including certain challenges faced by novice students of the subject, and he will indicate the ways in which these are addressed in his "First History for Adults" curriculum. The San Diego "Collective" is a community group that holds informal monthly meetings at area restaurants. This lecture will be preceeded a brunch at the Marriott del Mar, starting at 10:30 a.m. The cost of the is $10-$20. The lecture itself is free and will run for about one hour, starting at 12:00 p.m. Time: Sunday, February 26, 2006 ~10:30 A.M-1:00 P.M. Place: San Diego Marriott Del Mar, 11966 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA Event Information: FRODE ODEGARD (mailto:[email protected]) Teleconference Information: <http://www.powellhistory.com/invitation>.

Upon further consideration, I've decided to offer this lecture for FREE! The only cost to students will be their phone-in charges. Please check out www.powellhistory.com/invitation for more information. Best, Scott Powell [email protected]

I used to think much the same thing. I used to view America as a kind of philosophical Athena, springing out of the head of the Zeus that was Ancient Greece and Rome. Then I started studying the history of Europe, and especially England, intensively. I would say that America's identity, in essential terms, owes more to England than it does to Greece. Certainly, qua history, England's role in American history is the single greatest role of any nation. Of course, there's France (and the Enlightenment); there's Germany (and the Reformation); and Italy (and the Renaissance), and others. There's no question of the role of Ancient Greek and Roman thought in the development of America. However, as you point out, it was John Locke (an Englishman) who played the most direct role in transmitting certain ideas (many of them original to England) to America's Founding Fathers. Among the other prominent writers who influenced the formation of America's essential political identity were the Frenchman Montesquieu (whose work reflects the French historical context) and the Dutchman Grotius (who lived in the Dutch *Republic*.) In general terms, concerning the value of Ancient as opposed to European history, I would say the following: America owes a *philosophical* debt to Greece and Rome. However, to understand the *story* of America, qua history, demands understanding the direct agency of Europe, as America's mother continent. It requires an examination of the growth of representative institutions, such as Virginia's House of Burgesses--and their connection to the growth or parliament in England's history. It necessitates an examination of the idea of religious freedom--which can only be understood in the context of the shattering of the monopoly of religion of the Catholic Church during the Reformation. It also calls for a study of the pattern of international relations that led to the pivotal formulation of the Monroe Doctrine--in answer to the European threat. These are but three, albeit mighty important, indicative cases of the historical value of studying Europe. The *essential* connections between America and Europe are manifold. In that regard, I cannot accept the view that Europe is just filler. Regards, Scott.

Dear Ayn Rand admirers: [i'm sorry if this post shows up twice. I experienced a difficulty with this page during my previous session.] My name is Scott Powell. I teach history at VanDamme Academy, and I've created a three-part curriculum on the history of Western civilization specially designed for adult students! It's called A First History for Adults, and it's featured on my website, www.powellhistory.com. I would like to invite you to participate in an exciting presentation on this new course, the first ever infomercial for an intellectual product, "Invitation to History." For only $5 per call-in group (host as large a group as you like!) you can listen to a lecture that will have you re-evaluating just how important and exciting history can be! Details on the lecture are available at: www.powellhistory.com/invitation. Three lectures are currently planned: Feb.23, 24, and 26. See my site for details. I hope to hear you on the other end of the line! Best, Scott Powell [email protected]

Most definitely. The empirical basis for this approach was simply the success that I achieved by following this method myself (by accident at first, then by design). More recently, I have been able to grasp why it's so succesful. The fundamental reason is that the pursuit of knowledge of the past must not be divorced from the pursuit of happiness in the present. In other words, knowledge is not an end in itself. What I've learned about studying history is that you have to ruthlessly seek out connections between the past and the present to be able to sustain the intellectual effort required to integrate it all. There is no way that interest in a world that no longer exists can drive that kind of continual focus; only a desire to know the world in which one lives can do the job. The best way I have found to connect knowledge and values in history is to start nearest to the present. Ancient history is too far removed from modern American to serve as a proper starting point. We pursue values here and now. The most imminently important contextual information that we can obtain from history to assist us as value seekers in that context is the history of how that it came about. The most immediately applicable narrative for that purpose is American history. It yields the most useful causal perspective on the ideas and institutions that permeate the culture we live in. Which is not to say that European and Ancient history aren't fabulously valuable. However, they aren't as valuable, and they really only become valuable when American history is understood first. I find that studying Europe is always most interesting when I'm looking for how it connects to what I know about America. Similarly, I enjoy Ancient history most, when I'm looking for connections to later developments that I already know about in European and American history. In this approach, history is a kind of context-seeking activity. It gives you an ever widening grasp not of the past in itself, but of the present! I would agree that integration is vitally important, but I think you've got it backwards. I would say that you cannot properly decide which mental units to form until you really see how history unfolded in concrete terms. If you pick the units prematurely, then they aren't really reflections of a conceptual understanding, and I can only predict that they will frustrate your efforts rather than facilitate them. I always find that a timelines serve me best at the end of my studies of a particular period or topic. I work at the concrete level, forging an understanding of the causal links, and then I group and visualize. Whenever I have tried going the other way, the timeline I constructed always ended up being just another set of concretes I didn't really understand. Regards, Scott. [email protected]

Dear T_U: I had the same experience, and I think almost everyone has. That is because Intrinsicism dominates history. Most serious historians believe in the value of the "facts in themselves," and have no interest in justifying the study of the past. They experience history as a world apart from the present, and enjoy it that way. And they expect students of history to either accept this view, or go their own way. Most people rightly reject history done this way as irrelevant to their world of values. I had the good fortune to study at York University, and take a few specialized classes with Dr. Ridpath before he retired. I didn't have a thesis. I only did course work. And quite honestly, I learned nothing while I was there, despite being the highest ranking graduate of 2002. Like you I encountered an overwhelming array of facts and found them sinking into the recesses of my mind as I moved on to new contexts. Nothing was ever quite so frustrating to me, so I struggled to find a method that would prevent this problem, which I call the problem of "sinking concretes." I consider this one of the fundamental problems of knowledge acquisition in history, closely related to the problem "floating abstractions." And having experienced it for so long as a student drove me to try to address it as a teacher. It was while building the American History curriculum for elementary students at VanDamme Academy that I started to experience a new order of retention in my studies. I took careful notice and even started directing the process. I was fortunate to have reasonably good sources (quite a few of them!) and a ruthless drive to overcome all their flaws. I created what I call a "causally integrated narrative" for myself first of all, and then for my students. And I went back to European and Ancient history and did the same. The results were extremely heartening, and I now feel like I have legitimate command over virtually all of history from the Old Kingdom in Egypt to the War on Terror. It's what led me to create "A First History for Adults," which I'm now promoting on my website, www.powellhistory.com Regards, Scott Powell [email protected]

Dear "softwareNerd": It is my experience as well that most history books have too limited a scope. This is the result of a basic premise of historians that the facts in themselves are the primary value to be attained by studying the past. Ever since the backlash against the "philosophy of history" in the 19th century, historians have gradually backed away from integration. In much the same way that you are doing, I tried various means of addressing this problem. Timelines were one approach. (You should see how many different types of timelines I have created over the years!) But I have rejected this method as a primary component of knowledge acquisition. The basic reason is that timelines cannot help you to *create* the integration you are seeking--not if by integration we can agree we are talking about a *conceptual* grasp of a vast array of facts. If you are still learning, any timeline you create will only contain facts, the broad relationships between which will be vague in your mind, if you can tie them together at all. This type of collection of concretes can sometimes appear satisfying, but in my experience the "knowledge" fades very quickly, even if you're supplementing it by continued reading. The main problem is that there are too many concretes, and you cannot hold them all in your mind by such means. I now view timelines only as an adjunct to a well developed understanding, a visualization that allows you to "see" the big picture you've already built up. I sometimes peek at my best timelines only as a quick reminder about something, like the exact dates of a particular ruling dynasty, but I never use timelines anymore as a primary means of learning. Still, I'd be interested to hear more about what you mean by "hierarchical timelines." As far as atlases go, I definitely agree with you, that when you study history you need to have a number of historical atlases on hand. You can never have enough good maps! Of course, perhaps I'm biased, since I was a geographic information systems consultant for 10 years! As far as atlases go, I definitely recommend getting as many different ones as you can. Avoid modern ones, though, because they tend to try to display too many themes at once. I like the older historical atlases by William Shepherd. They're not perfect, but they have a lot of maps, and some of them very effectively communicate change by the way that successive maps are arranged. Regards, Scott. www.powellhistory.com

Greetings: As a historian and teacher at VanDamme Academy, one of the most interesting topics that I continually research is that of hierarchy in history. In my experience, most historians make no attempt to connect their work to the context of knowledge or values of their readers, or even acknowledge that such an integration is proper. Nor do they even have any awareness of the fact that gaining knowledge of history requires a structured, conceptual undertaking, and cognitive purpose to fuel that undertaking (other than simply the desire "to know"). They simply relate their knowledge, and expect the reader to keep up. Consequently, I'm quite sure that there are many readers of this forum who find history difficult to handle, and I'd be surprised if there is anyone here who feels equally at home discussing ancient, European, and American history. If there are those of you who feel competent across the board, I'd be very interested to hear how you personally achieved that level of knowledge, and what resources you recommend to accomplish it. As for those of you who don't feel it, I'd be interested to hear about your attempts and frustrations. My personal goal as a historian is to help adult students of history learn about Western civilization as a whole. I hold that it is the proper first step for any student of history to learn the "big picture," and I am working to make that possible, even for those who didn't get the education they deserved when they were young. Part of my philosophy about what I call a "First History" is presented on part of my site: www.powellhistory.com/philosophy2.html. I'd enjoy hearing responses from others on this forum, and fielding questions about it. Regards, Scott [email protected]

Jose: Thanks for your post/questions. Regarding the time commitment that the course would require, let me just tell you that it only involves about 1.5 hours a week. I plan for lectures to be one hour, with a brief question period, but each session seems to go nearly 1.5 hours, given audience enthusiasm. It is actually part of the course design that it doesn't ask for too much of the students' time, knowing full well how hard it is to fit everything in these days. I intend at some point to create a definitive recording of the course and offer it as a taped or on-line lecture series. At that point I will surely advertise it on this forum, but for now I plan to focus on live sessions. As for books, I have to say that the specific topics you mention are very delimited, and I have no expertise in those areas. My focus is on the general history of Western civilization. Regards, Scott [email protected]

Greetings Ayn Rand Fans: Objectivists believe in the value of history. Unfortunately, despite the vast quantity of historical work that has been done in the modern era, grasping the broad history of Western civilization, and thus substantiating that belief, has never been harder. History stretches over 5000 years, and involves three major phases of development: Ancient, European, and American. The sheer volume of information that one must study to integrate this progression is staggering, if it is not presented properly. That's why I've created "A First History for Adults." As a historian and teacher at VanDamme Academy, I struggled like everyone else with the task of integrating the myriad facts that clutter conventional works. It took me years of professional effort to develop a proper pedagogical approach. Now it's ready, and it's available to anyone with a phone! It's a three-part course on the history of Western civilization, both comprehensive and accessible. And it's offered in a once-weekly format that fits into your schedule. I invite you all to visit my site for more information: www.powellhistory.com. Regards, Scott Powell [email protected]