Its always nice to separate myth from fact. Even though myth may possess more truth at times, it is also true that those who would deceive frequently rely on "historical docudrama" to abuse the power of myth.
On Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 1:51 PM, Jed Rothwell <[email protected]> wrote: > James Bowery <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> . . . the modern equivalent of scholars of Galileo's time refusing to >> look through Galileo's telescope. > > > I am sorry to be an insufferable pedant, but I must point out that history > is apocryphal. They *did look* through the telescope. Some of them were > not convinced for good reasons. It was a lousy telescope. > > Scholars, Popes and Cardinals have often refused to look at the facts, so > even though that incident was apocryphal, it is instructive. > > Many events recorded in history did not happen, or they were so different > you would not recognize them. Never let that stand in the way of a good > story! One of my favorites is Huxley versus "Soapy Sam" Wilburforce in the > 1860 Oxford U. evolution debate. A pity it did not happen the way Huxley > told the story. > > - Jed > >
