Discuss the Roles of Language and Reason in History Essay

History as the area of knowledge is virtually indivisible from language and reasoning. Language is one of the most potent means of interpreting and reporting historical information that is derived from the sources pertinent to the events and occurrences. The sources themselves, in their turn, are frequently presented by the written documents, recorded anecdotal experiences, and works of art, archeology, anthropology and photography which, yet again, are interpreted through the language in conjunction with the context of a historical event. It appears to be an endless loop, where language is the alpha and omega, the main vehicle of conveying history. However, to arrive to the valid interpretation of a certain historical event or development, historians frequently use reasoning to connect the factual data of the tangible sources since the latter ones often come in the form of fragments, related to a particular aspect of the happening. Ideally, reasoning, applied to the interpretation of historical data, should be impersonal, unaffected by predominant views and opinions and completely untainted by political agenda. Yet, it is hard to imagine that throughout the centuries those who held power would willingly allow the contemporary historians relate to the masses the adequate information on the details of their governing techniques and actions. As Winston Churchill pointed out, â€Å"History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.† Therefore, it is up to an individual to interpret the language, deduce information through applying reasoning, incorporate other areas of knowledge such as science, sociology, psychology and arrive to conclusions in attempts to comprehend historical developments in question. It is important to point out that we frequently perceive historical events as they are presented by those who hold some form of authority: the individuals whom we refer to as experts or the mass media and research bodies who are entrusted with the responsibility to convey information to masses. And here comes the essential aspect: the validity of the statements and projections made by the mentioned authorities. In other words, in search for the truthful perspective of a historical event one needs to remember about the language that is used for such interpretations, the language of power. Truth in history is a dubious concept since any event which involves certain outcomes would be interpreted by a number of experts. The outcomes of the events be it revolutions, wars, or reigns of monarchs and are usually appear in form of facts: toppling of governments, changes in ideologies and laws that societies are to adhere to, development or stagnation of the economy in a given country. These are the facts that are presented in the form of explanations, commentaries, and justifications. And here the language of power might play the crucial role in the way this information is to be perceived. To distinguish the motives behind the language that is used for presenting the event, one needs to look for other sources that interpret the same development, but from a different angle. For instance, the attack on the World Trade Center, New York City, in 2001 is vastly believed to be executed by the group of terrorists known as Al-Qaeda, and hence perceived as â€Å"the terrorist attack†. The mass media of the entire world presented the fact that over 2,700 people perished during the atrocious bombing which involved the hijacked airplanes driven into both towers which collapsed within a short period of time. However, the independent sources point at the undeniable facts that the World Trade Center towers were â€Å"designed to take the impact of the Boeing 707 hitting the building at any location† (Les Robertson, WTC Structural Engineer) and â€Å"could sustain multiple impacts of jetliners† (Frank A. Demartini, Manager of WTC Construction) and still survive (Aaron Swirsky, WTC Architect)1. Other sources, such as a scientific research conducted by Dr Steven Johns, Professor of Physics, BYU, state that the way the buildings collapsed precisely follows the scenario of a controlled demolition. Here, historical event calls for the help of reasoning, which can raise further questions to authorities that put the entire responsibility on the Al-Qaeda. The more scientific and factual evidence emerges from the research, the more controversial this event seems to be. But it is for an individual to arrive to a conclusion provided he or she is concerned with the issue. However, the prevailing opinion that was projected into the minds of the public by mass media remains adamant: the terrorist group dealt a tremendous blow to the democracy of the United States and must pay for it. Hence, there is a fully justifiable war with Iraq, the country which has a doubtful connection with Al-Qaeda, apart from the fact that it is run by a dictator and constitutes a predominantly Muslim society. But the non-Muslim world has already been contaminated by the fear of Muslims who seem to be nearly synonymous with â€Å"terrorists†. â€Å"Thus, [†¦] crowds have come,[†¦] to acquire a profound antipathy for the images evoked by certain words†2 and fully accepted the justification for the war in Iraq. Reasoning is an indispensable tool for those who wish to form a personal opinion on historical events which are presented through language. Yet this process entails searching for the information from the alternative sources. Language is used as a powerful vehicle in creating certain views among various groups of societies, and such language is frequently applied by those who are concerned with power. History is abound with examples in which governing bodies used language to impose ideology and ensure that the masses are entirely convinced in the righteousness of such propaganda: the Soviet Union, China and socialism, Germany and Nazism, the United States and democracy. However, upon a simple application of reasoning, a series of questions arise: how a nation that was claimed to be fed by pure ideology could exist for more than 75 years and build one of the most successful, self-sustaining industries and sciences that are still recognized, though grudgingly, throughout the entire capi talistic world? How could a nation develop such a potent economy that is still burgeoning while the other one is desperately trying to recover from the economic meltdown that has affected nearly the entire world? What could make a nation believe a mentally ill person3 and empower it to conquer the entire Europe? It is indubitable that the language of power and the power of language were effectively used by the leaders of those nations. However, it is reasoning that can help an independent researcher or a concerned individual in the quest of constructing a clear picture on what forces were involved in such profound changes on such vast scales. Of course, it is naà ¯ve to presume that reasoning alone might provide clarifications to the historical events under scrutiny. Reasoning in history is a second step in interpreting historical developments after pertinent to them materials were selected and carefully studied. These materials would include evidence from various fields and areas of knowledge, and the greater the scope of those areas, the more comprehensible and significant the features of events would emerge before the eyes of the researcher. Language might play the roles of obscuring the conditions and implications of historical events; yet the same language might be used in explaining the factors that led to the consequences produced by those events. However, it is the effort in applying reasoning and logic that would eventually create an unobstructed perspective on the historical developments and occurrences in question. References and works cited: 1. Joseph, Peter. 2007. Zeitgeist. Online. Accessed: Dec 21, 2010. www.zeitgeistmovie.com. 2. Le Bon, Gustave. 1841-1931. The Crowd: A study of the Popular Mind. 1841-1931. Translation: Psychologie des foules. Cherokee Publishing Company. Atlanta, Georgia. 1982. Pg. 100 3. The International Campaign for Real History. Hitler’s Last Illness. Online. Accessed: Dec 23, 2010. www.fpp.co.uk/Hitler/docs/Parkinsonism/VancouverSun170599.html