It seems to be universal (or nearly so) that belief systems have as their basis a point in the past where perfection was once found. If not perfect time, then a person or collection of writings that are seen to be so. Whether it is a religion, politics, nationalism, or any other secular "good ol' days" sentiment, the search for truth and a way to improve society through a belief system often comes from looking to the past.
There are at least two problems with this.
1) We know that societies have improved with time. Any serious look at the conditions under which humans live will show vast improvements with time--at least for the majority, on average. (There are, of course, many cases of the worst off of a more recent period being worse off than some of those who lived previously, and vice versa.)
2) It includes the idea that all changes from the designated historical point in time are not desirable. To assert that no new information or better methods can be discovered is ludicrous. Plus, the promoted view of the past in question is often a lie or just plain wrong. There is often not enough information to make such determinations and motivations by the current promoters that make the assertions untenable.
"We think we actually understand things only when we have traced them back to what we do not understand and cannot understand - to causality, to axioms, to God, to character." -Georg Simmel
There are at least two problems with this.
1) We know that societies have improved with time. Any serious look at the conditions under which humans live will show vast improvements with time--at least for the majority, on average. (There are, of course, many cases of the worst off of a more recent period being worse off than some of those who lived previously, and vice versa.)
2) It includes the idea that all changes from the designated historical point in time are not desirable. To assert that no new information or better methods can be discovered is ludicrous. Plus, the promoted view of the past in question is often a lie or just plain wrong. There is often not enough information to make such determinations and motivations by the current promoters that make the assertions untenable.
"We think we actually understand things only when we have traced them back to what we do not understand and cannot understand - to causality, to axioms, to God, to character." -Georg Simmel
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