New essay: The real purpose of History

I find it incredible that presidential debates used to be 7 hours long.

On October 16, 1854, in Peoria, Illinois, Douglas delivered a three-hour address to which Lincoln, by agreement, was to respond.

When Lincoln’s turn came, he reminded the audience that it was already 5 p.m., that he would probably require as much time as Douglas and that Douglas was still scheduled for a rebuttal.

He proposed, therefore, that the audience go home, have dinner, and return refreshed for four more hours of talk. The audience amiably agreed, and matters proceeded as Lincoln had outlined.

Who are these people? They seem otherworldly, almost superhuman in their ability to endlessly listen to complex political arguments. But 1854 was less than 200 years ago, a blink of an eye on historical timescales.

Read on: https://billmei.net/blog/history​

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Yours,

Bill Mei