Cultural studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Cultural studies - Essay Example This ‘selective selfishness’, as the author calls it, is the essence of all great things that have happened in the world. The author also talks in detail about what he calls as historical men, men who take history as the basis of their future actions (p 65). The author debates that history should not be treated as a pure science and that it is neither a source for pure knowledge. Hence, he concedes to the theory that it can merely be used as a reference to take life forward. While total lack of history and too much of history are both derogatory, it is essential that human beings take the middle path and recognize its relevance in human life. According to the author, man should be able to selectively switch off and on his awareness and reverence for the past and must not fall a prey to delusions provided by historical anecdotes. In "On the Uses and Disadvantage of History for Life", Friedrich Nietzsche, analyses the importance of history in the guiding the modern generations. He lays out a path, a dogma, that is to be followed by all those who are desirous of attaining enlightenment in their lives. For example, he says that history that speaks of the past and provides nothing new, does not invigorate the mind (p 113). On the contrary, history shows its heroes and heroines as those who questioned a dogma is to be followed, if we are to make any sense of history and the future. Hence, Friedrich Nietzsche tells us that we need to be path finders in a world that is dominated by historical data that could be biased and one-sided and does not take into consideration information that has many perspectives to it. History, further can be conceived as a biased fabrication of an individual or a group of persons for furthering some rested interests. We have seen instances where historical information which ere believed to have been facts, had been challenged later on. Nietzsche, in particular,