Posted on 02/07/2017 6:13:43 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
George Santayana was an immigrant.
Born in Spain in 1863, he moved to Boston in 1869 with his mother and siblings. He would eventually attend Harvard College, and then become a professor of philosophy there where he instructed such historic figures as T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost and Gertrude Stein.
As a philosopher, Santayana was one among many. But when it comes to his aphorisms, he was unparalleled. His most famous, of course, concerns history: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” He also had this gem: “Fanaticism consists of redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim.”
History is a slippery creature. It twists and turns with every new retelling.
Before Santayana was born, his mother had lived in the United States. She left two years before, in 1861, undoubtedly to escape the ravages of the civil war that threatened to tear the United States asunder. Here we are, a century and a half later, and America seems to be on the brink of another civil war. On one side, you have Donald Trump, who is pushing to make America great again. On the other side, you have Democrats and the political left, those who promise to “resist.”(continued)
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Good article, thanks for posting. Santayana was prescient on a lot of things, but unfortunately is virtually unknown either in the US or Spain nowadays.
That said, the author’s main point is absolutely right and the Dems are fighting a partisan but non-existent - or existing only in their heads - war.
“He who doesn’t remember history is doomed to re-Tweet it.”
I’m sure he was a LEGAL immigrant.
Those who do not read Santayana's full text are condemned to misinterpret the tiny quote they do know.
Santayana's quote was about progress depending on retention of what is good, not just changing everything. It has nothing to do with repeating historic events.
Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. - George Santayana The Life of Reason
The Islamocrat party is so bankrupt its making common cause with terrorists.
Oye como va was pretty good.
LOLOL
Resistance may be futile, but I hope that the conservatives never EVAH want to assimilate a progressive.
Just burn the carcass and then take a bodacious Obama on it.
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