165. Book Review | Shocking Secrets of American History by Bill Coate

In keeping with this week’s episode on history, I decided to bring out a book from my library on history to review today. In this episode, we’ll look at some of the secrets of history from this book. Basically, this book is a collection of short stories that many may not know about American history. Despite being a history buff, I hadn’t heard many of the stories, so I think there’s a lot of learning for anyone. Tune into this episode, I’ll show you why you should pick up your copy.

“It’s a very good historical book about history.”
Dan Quayle

Grab your copy of Shocking Secrets of American History by Bill Coate

“History’s like a story in a way: it depends on who’s telling it.”
–Dorothy Salisbury Davis

Some Shocking Secrets of History

How much about history do you really know? Did you know about Aaron Burr’s debauchery? How about John Edwards’ wayward grand nephew? If you want to learn incredible stories about our past, this book is where you want to look. In fact, some of the stories are truly unbelievable. Despite that, these did happen, and I think you’d be amazed by some of these stories. It’s definitely important to know the broad themes and movements of history. However, these little stories are great to know as well, and can make for a great way to get people interested in history.

One Shocking Secret of history is that Aaron Burr and Hamilton actually dueled in DC

Why History is Important to Learn

History is a part of our heritage, and it’s important to know where we come from. Furthermore, knowing history allows us to identify solutions in our current situation. There’s a common saying that those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it, and that’s true. Most importantly, it offers us the knowledge we need to make decisions about our world. This is because it puts things in perspective by broadening our frame of reference.

236. Materialism & The Human Person | The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly – Conversation of Our Generation

According to Wikepedia, "Materialism is a form of philosophical monism that holds that matter is the fundamental substance in nature, and that all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materialism, mind and consciousness are by-products or epiphenomena of material processes (such as the biochemistry of the human brain and nervous system), without which they cannot exist. This concept directly contrasts with idealism, where mind and consciousness are first-order realities to which matter is subject and material interactions are secondary." Valid Concerns and Good Points At first, it seems to make sense. Much of what we encounter is material. Our food, light, furniture, etc. is all material. It would be easy at first glance to think everything boils down to what is material. But, does that really comport with what we experience and know? Errors of Materialism Materialism leaves out a large chunk of the human experience. First, it fails, like naturalism, to fully account for the supernatural and the spiritual. And, in doing so, it denies free will and many other parts of our experience that are products of the spirit. Also, materialism doesn't allow for the abstract truths we know to be. Moral truths, natural laws, beauty, and even some mathematical truths can't exist if everything is material. So, materialism fails to explain all that we know about the world. Corrections There is more to the world than just the material. It doesn't fit with our understanding of the world. We experience more than just the material in art and music, as well as abstract concepts. We also experience the phenomenon of free will, which is impossible in a materialist world. In order to fully comport with reality, we need to take into account more than material things. In order to fully experience the world, we have to take account for the non-material parts of our lives. Related Episodes in this Series What is Objective Reality? What is Subjective Reality? Unity of Subject and Object The Golden Mean for Understanding Objective and Subjective Reality Naturalism & The Human Person | The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/conofourgen/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/conofourgen/support