Is this a silly question for a history class to make a question of?

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

As you know I am doing a major in history, but today one of the questions I am offered to write on, I feel this is a pretty "silly" question. Basically it concerns the Age of Exploration or Age of Discovery.

This is the exact words of the question I am referring to:

"Some historians call the period of travels of Europeans to the so-called 'New World' the Age of Exploration, while others choose the phrase Age of Discovery. Which do you find more appropriate? Why? Be sure to include specific examples and details to support your decision."

Now do you find this a silly question for a history class to give or is it a genuine question to ask?

Because to me I find it a bit silly because at face value by those words alone, discovery is the RESULT of exploration. So by technicality it should be called the Age of Exploration.

 

[Trunkage]

It's definitely not the Age of Discovery. You can't discover stuff that has already been found. Its typical eurocentric nonsense.

Edit: Discovery implies that no one owned it previously. So you can take places like the Americas without considering the native inhabitants

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

It's definitely not the Age of Discovery. You can't discover stuff that has already been found. Its typical eurocentric nonsense.

Edit: Discovery implies that no one owned it previously. So you can take places like the Americas without considering the native inhabitants

Ironically enough Wikipedia titles their article on it "The Age of Discovery"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Discovery

They still acknowledge it being called Exploration though.

 

[Hades]

I would call it the age of exploration if you're doing a paper on it. Your teacher would likely argue against the term age of ''discovery'' for the reason Trunk already pointed out and this might be reflected in your grade.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

I would call it the age of exploration if you're doing a paper on it. Your teacher would likely argue against the term age of ''discovery'' for the reason Trunk already pointed out and this might be reflected in your grade.

I choose not to do it since there were other topic questions to choose from, and the one I chose was the Protestant Reformation, perticularly the Non-Religious catalyst that caused it.

I was tempted to post that topic in the R&P forum, but I feel it maybe a bit too controversial discussing the history of the Reformation.

And yet I still kinda do wish to talk about it, so should I do it?

 

[Saelune]

I would call it the age of exploration if you're doing a paper on it. Your teacher would likely argue against the term age of ''discovery'' for the reason Trunk already pointed out and this might be reflected in your grade.

I choose not to do it since there were other topic questions to choose from, and the one I chose was the Protestant Reformation, perticularly the Non-Religious catalyst that caused it.

I was tempted to post that topic in the R&P forum, but I feel it maybe a bit too controversial discussing the history of the Reformation.

And yet I still kinda do wish to talk about it, so should I do it?

Go for it. Plenty of history nerds, I honestly don't see it getting 'controversial', certainly not any more than most of the topics already there.

 

[Zarcez]

I choose not to do it since there were other topic questions to choose from, and the one I chose was the Protestant Reformation, perticularly the Non-Religious catalyst that caused it.

Will you be writing about the Thirty Years' War as that is one of my "favorite" war and it's quite interesting war and has quite a lot do about religon in Europe around that time?

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

I choose not to do it since there were other topic questions to choose from, and the one I chose was the Protestant Reformation, perticularly the Non-Religious catalyst that caused it.

Will you be writing about the Thirty Years' War as that is one of my "favorite" war and it's quite interesting war and has quite a lot do about religon in Europe around that time?

Well the thing is my 2 of my classes related to history concerns the history of the world before that War. Because The Thirty Year's War apperently was the turning point between ancient and modern eras.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

I would call it the age of exploration if you're doing a paper on it. Your teacher would likely argue against the term age of ''discovery'' for the reason Trunk already pointed out and this might be reflected in your grade.

I choose not to do it since there were other topic questions to choose from, and the one I chose was the Protestant Reformation, perticularly the Non-Religious catalyst that caused it.

I was tempted to post that topic in the R&P forum, but I feel it maybe a bit too controversial discussing the history of the Reformation.

And yet I still kinda do wish to talk about it, so should I do it?

Go for it. Plenty of history nerds, I honestly don't see it getting 'controversial', certainly not any more than most of the topics already there.

Eh the problem is that the Reformation is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too broad a topic since pretty much various European Kingdoms/States were affected by it differently from each other.

The English Reformation of Herny VIII is essentially a different story compared to the German Reformation of Martin Luther.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Age of Discovery is dumb, anyways.

How do you arbitrarily determine when it has ended?

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest biological structure on Earth ... not much about it has actually been properly charted.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

I would be more worried about trying to Major in History as every single person I know that did could not find a job in their field making enough money to live on and their degree was useless. They all either 1) went back to school for something else or 2) Took a job in a field without utilizing their degree at all.

For example these are the actual jobs that my close friends who have History Degrees actually work now:
1) Salesman
2) Store manager
3) Lab technician (after going back to school)
I know of others who chose history majors such as the guy who works at starbucks, but things seemed to turn out even worse for them. Very Very few of those who have their degrees actually maintain a career in the field due to supply and demand. If at all possible, I would do some more research into fields that are in demand with short supply with good salaries if you want to be able to utilize your degree once you graduate.

ALSO, yes Age of discovery is terribly arrogant and promotes ignorance.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

I would be more worried about trying to Major in History as every single person I know that did could not find a job in their field making enough money to live on and their degree was useless. They all either 1) went back to school for something else or 2) Took a job in a field without utilizing their degree at all.

For example these are the actual jobs that my close friends who have History Degrees actually work now:
1) Salesman
2) Store manager
3) Lab technician (after going back to school)
I know of others who chose history majors such as the guy who works at starbucks, but things seemed to turn out even worse for them. Very Very few of those who have their degrees actually maintain a career in the field due to supply and demand.

ALSO, yes Age of discovery is terribly arrogant and promotes ignorance.

Lies....

I did a trip major History, Sociology, Psych... I got offered a thinktank position for the ALP. I also got a job at the NSW DE.

Teaching (with a masters), politics, archivists, museology (with a masters), restorations (with further education), television, etc.

A degree is about as useful to a job as hiw you market yourself to begin with.

A background in 'PPE' (Politics, Philosophy, Economics) basically makes up 20 of Australian Prime Ministers since Federation.... course then so does a Rhodes Scholarship...

A background in history and historiography gives you a lot of communications skills and the means to properly interpret politics of the past and its structuralist dimensions into economics (which is merely a type of historiography as it relates to commerce and trade of people past and oresent) that there are a lot of political advisory positions that may pay for those insights.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

I would be more worried about trying to Major in History as every single person I know that did could not find a job in their field making enough money to live on and their degree was useless. They all either 1) went back to school for something else or 2) Took a job in a field without utilizing their degree at all.

For example these are the actual jobs that my close friends who have History Degrees actually work now:
1) Salesman
2) Store manager
3) Lab technician (after going back to school)
I know of others who chose history majors such as the guy who works at starbucks, but things seemed to turn out even worse for them. Very Very few of those who have their degrees actually maintain a career in the field due to supply and demand.

ALSO, yes Age of discovery is terribly arrogant and promotes ignorance.

Lies....

I did a trip major History, Sociology, Psych...

Teaching (with a masters), politics, archivists, museology (with a masters), restorations (with further education), television, etc.

A degree is about as useful to a job as hiw you market yourself to begin with.

A background in 'PPE' (Politics, Philosophy, Economics) basically makes up 20 of Australian Prime Ministers since Federation.... course then so does a Rhodes Scholarship...

So he should move to Australia from Puerto Rico to be able to get a job because here in the US we have far too many of them, and the jobs available here do not pay well?

1) How will he be able to afford to travel there and to purchase a home there?
2) Is Australia now taking American Refugees or something? HAHA!

It is really hard to find a well-paying job in the US in this economy. Half of all recent college grads are ending up under employed or unemployed. A record twenty-five percent of minimum wage jobs are held by college grads. Your major matters. (I?ve seen studies that show your major matters more than school.) A bachelor?s degree in something like history, English, creative writing, biology, or psychology may very well have you joining that one third of 18-34 year olds living with their parents. If you have student loans, you may end up stuck trying to pay them off while working two part time jobs.

https://www.quora.com/Is-a-college-degree-in-History-worth-it

BTW teachers in the US are not paid enough to survive on for the most part. That is why we have college professors living in their cars here:
http://neatoday.org/2017/11/01/homeless-professor/

I am just trying to hopefully help him before the same thing happens to him as has ALREADY happened to my friends. ( No that was not lies, this is their reality here)

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

So he should move to Australia from Puerto Rico to be able to get a job because here in the US we have far too many of them, and the jobs available here do not pay well?

1) How will he be able to afford to travel there and to purchase a home there?
2) Is Australia now taking American Refugees or something? HAHA!

You could look at it in terms of social good will. If you want people to have their true sense of sovereignty, you do so through crafting historiography. Which is often why history is so useful in political circles to begin with. If you have talented thinktanks made up of people with a background of understanding historiography, you have a powerful political edge that is not only politically expedient to communicating that to others but also the means to navigate public opinion surrounding it. To create narratives to inform, debate, and yes... even inculcate and 're-educate'...

Whether in terms of the most well meaning social initiatives, to ruthless fascism, historians (historiographers more so) are often the ones to make it palatable to the body-politic.

Whether it be ridiculous concepts of China's 'Nine-Dash' initiative in the South China Sea... or something as innocent as trying to argue for native title for Aboriginal heritage sites.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

So he should move to Australia from Puerto Rico to be able to get a job because here in the US we have far too many of them, and the jobs available here do not pay well?

1) How will he be able to afford to travel there and to purchase a home there?
2) Is Australia now taking American Refugees or something? HAHA!

You could look at it in terms of social good will. If you want people to have their true sense of sovereignty, you do so through crafting historiography. Which is often why history is so useful in political circles to begin with. If you have talented thinktanks made up of people with a background of understanding historiography, you have a powerful political edge that is not only politically expedient to communicating that to others but also the means to navigate public opinion surrounding it. To create narratives to inform, debate, and yes... even inculcate and 're-educate'...

Whether in terms of the most well meaning social initiatives, to ruthless fascism, historians (historiographers more so) are often the ones to make it palateable to the body-politic.

Whether it be ridiculois concepts of China's 'Nine-Dash' initiative in the South China Sea... or something as innocent as trying to argue for native title for Aboriginal heritage sites.

That is great and all, but realistically I don't think it is going to help him with a job in the US in the current market. I am worried to how he will survive after he graduates. Without some serious connections here most good jobs in this area are unattainable for the average person. There are simply too many with " good connections" taking the very few jobs available here. (I added to my post above as well )

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

That is great and all, but realistically I don't think it is going to help him with a job in the US in the current market. I am worried to how he will survive after he graduates. Without some serious connections here most good jobs in this area are unattainable for the average person. There are simply too many with " good connections" taking the very few jobs available here. (I added to my post above as well )

Ehhh... that assumes one merely studies for a job, or learns no transferable skills. I studied education and I didn't remain a teacher. I took a government job as an analyst looking at rural schools and services.

The thing is the current 'market' of jobs is doing no one any real favours to begin with.

Research associates. Science is a core underpinning of modern society and it has lateral transformation into all walks of life. I know researchers who lived in their cars post-doc. The CSIRO ('CSIR' att), an organization that organized and collectively assisted and co-ordinated the 'Army Research Initiative' during the darkest days of Australia being at total war with enemies on its doorstep ...

Well the average pay cheque in such an organization is 90k p.a. Despite the years necessary to actually becoming a 'scientist'.

GPs earn 4 times as much despite half the study.

And it's been this way for decades across the Western world.

Many of the people designing the infrastructure on the world's first viable quantum computer, the people that helped delivers the first silicon-dressed q-bit... they've only just recently been given a contract at UNSW/Australian Defence Force Academy to develop a public company designed to spearhead its economic and military application and infrastructure.

Many of them were subsiding on 36K p.a.

Studying for a job is secondary to whether you're good at it, and eventually the market will have to realize that regardless in time. Moreover, even just a flat BA in time pays for itself and then some according to statistics.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

That is great and all, but realistically I don't think it is going to help him with a job in the US in the current market. I am worried to how he will survive after he graduates. Without some serious connections here most good jobs in this area are unattainable for the average person. There are simply too many with " good connections" taking the very few jobs available here. (I added to my post above as well )

Ehhh... that assumes one merely studies for a job, or learns no transferable skills. I studied education and I didn't remain a teacher. I took a government job as an analyst looking at rural schools and services.

The thing is the current 'market' of jobs is doing no one any real favours to begin with.

Research associates. Science is a core underpinning of modern society and it has lateral transformation into all walks of life. I know researchers who lived in their cars post-doc. The CSIRO ('CSIR' att), an organization that organized and collectively assisted and co-ordinated the 'Army Research Initiative' during the darkest days of Australia being at total war with enemies on its doorstep ...

Well the average pay cheque in such an organization is 90k p.a. Despite the years necessary to actually becoming a 'scientist'.

GPs earn 4 times as much despite half the study.

And its been this way for decades across the Western world.

Many of the people designing the infrastructure on the world's first viable quantum computer, the people that helped delivers the first silicon-dressed q-bit... they've only just recently been given a contract at UNSW/Australian Defence Force Academy to develop a public company designed to spearhead its economic and military application and infrastructure.

Many of them were subsiding on 36K p.a.

Studying for a job is secondary to whether you're good at it, and eventually the market will have to realize that regardless in time. Moreover, even just a flat BA in time pays for itself and then some according to statistics.

Yes too bad the US does not care or keep up with what the rest of the west has been doing and would rather keep their teachers and researchers homeless instead and have been cutting those positions out of the government all together atm.

Unless you live in a nation that has job openings for these positions that pay a living wage, or have the resources available to move to one of those nations, a major in History may do more harm than good to your hopes to one day be self sufficient. To make it worse, you will never make it past the system filtering you out to be reviewed by an actual human since they selectively weed out certain majors as part of the screening process now for many positions available.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Yes too bad the US does not care or keep up with what the rest of the west has been doing and would rather keep their teachers and researchers homeless instead and have been cutting those positions out of the government all together atm.

Unless you live in a nation that has job openings for these positions that pay a living wage, or have the resources available to move to one of those nations, a major in History may do more harm than good to your hopes to one day be self sufficient. To make it worse, you will never make it past the system filtering you out to be reviewed by an actual human since they selectively weed out certain majors as part of the screening process now for many positions available.

The rest of the Western world has been cutting these jobs and slashing their funding. So much neurosci talent that could be pioneering legitimately the next evolutionary state of humanity... understanding the very vagaries of the mind-brain dichotomy and where it meets, the very core questions of philosophy, science, and human apprehensions itself... well quite literally they keep bombarding students with things like; "Go into medicine, neurology, earn 400+K a year. Or always be poor."

Because apparently answering the biggest questions in the universe and the nature of our humanity is unprofitable...

This is not just the U.S. ... it is everywhere, and it is precisely everywhere that suffers the usual 8-12 year market cycle for a reason.

Fact of the matter is there's not even going to be that many medicine jobs once taxes fall so much that the government basically just strips out entire services and people can no longer afford to access them. You think that an A.I. robot dishing out pills and test data analysis of the pathology of patients won't become the 'public health' of places like Australia in 15 years time?

Why do they need doctors doing that job of filling out scripts when they can just have half as many doctors focussed elsewhere... like a factory line.

There was a massive debate in Australia recently of the centralization of patient health records simply to streamline this future...

There is a reason why I have advocated in the past a global moratorium on A.I development and implementation in key certain industries, allowing neurosci/psych to catch up and re-affirm our collective responsibility to elevating the species over the simple tyranny of computer code. Either we achieve the human hive and the break down of mere individual perception, or we simply allow ourselves to stagnate.

 

[Zarcez]

I choose not to do it since there were other topic questions to choose from, and the one I chose was the Protestant Reformation, perticularly the Non-Religious catalyst that caused it.

Will you be writing about the Thirty Years' War as that is one of my "favorite" war and it's quite interesting war and has quite a lot do about religon in Europe around that time?

Well the thing is my 2 of my classes related to history concerns the history of the world before that War. Because The Thirty Year's War apperently was the turning point between ancient and modern eras.

So more about the state religion in HRE and subsquent religious leagues which cumulated in the start of the war?

 

[Squilookle]

I was ready to come in and say 'there are no silly questions in history'

but yep- that is definitely a dumb question. I agree it should be 'Exploration', for the same reason.