History is us squinting into the past, mistaking millions of tiny vibrations in all directions for unified, unidirectional movements by entire civilizations.

Joseph Fink
About This Quote

History is us squinting into the past, mistaking millions of tiny vibrations in all directions for unified, unidirectional movements by entire civilizations . In his article “ The Unbearable Wholeness of Time ” , writes, "To me it seems obvious that we can never know what we think we know — and the more we think we know, the more we know we don't." He says: “The best and most useful thing I think any historian can do is to try and make clear the way our categories [of understanding] distort, obscure and even deceive us.”

Source: Mostly Void, Partially Stars

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