Constant Quote by James W. Loewen
“Taking ideas seriously does not fit with the rhetorical style of textbooks, which presents events so as to make them seem foreordained along a line of constant progress. Including ideas would make history contingent: things could go either way, and have on occasion. The 'right' people, armed with the 'right' ideas, have not always won. When they didn't, the authors would be in the embarrassing position of having to disapprove of an outcome in the past. Including ideas would introduce uncertainty. This is not textbook style.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Lies My Teacher Told Me, James W. Loewen, 1995
Textbooks simplify history, ignoring the role of ideas and contingency, presenting a false sense of inevitability.
In simple terms: History is presented as inevitable, ignoring ideas and chance.
Key Takeaway
Question narratives that claim linear progress.
Themes
history
education
critical thinking
Mood
skeptical
inquisitive
Type
analytical
educational
When to use this quote
- school curricula
- public discourse
- policy making
Key Concepts
determinism
contingency
ideological bias
Questions to Reflect On
- What ideas have been omitted from mainstream histories?
- How can education embrace uncertainty?
A Different Perspective
Historical narratives are complex and often contested.
![“No matter how thoroughly Native Americans acculturated, they could not succeed in white society. Whites would not let them. "Indians were always regarded as aliens, and were rarely allowed to live within white society except on its periphery," according to [Gary] Nash. Native Americans who amassed…” quote by James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/31e/james-w-loewen-12569_acculturated_no-matter-how-thoroughly-native-american_489063.jpg)
