In a secular world, which is what most of us in Europe and North America live in, history takes on the role of showing us good and evil, virtues and vices. Religion no longer plays as important a part as it once did in setting moral standards and transmitting values.History with a capital H is being called in to fill the void. It restores a sense not necessarily of a divine being but of something above and beyond human beings. It is our authority: it can vindicate us and judge us, and damn those who oppose us. Margaret MacMillan
About This Quote

A secular view of history is not one that denies the existence of God, but one that is not tied to the idea of divine intervention. History does not need to be viewed as a divine gift, nor is it a gift from God to humans. Rather, history is simply the study of the human race. It describes what humans have done and how they have interacted with each other throughout time. The only thing that makes history have any importance is that it can be studied and can teach us something about humanity.

Source: The Uses And Abuses Of History

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More Quotes By Margaret MacMillan
  1. We can learn from history, but we can also deceive ourselves when we selectively take evidence from the past to justify what we have already made up our minds to do.
  2. In a secular world, which is what most of us in Europe and North America live in, history takes on the role of showing us good and evil, virtues and vices. Religion no longer plays as important a part as it once did in setting...
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