this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2023
163 points (97.7% liked)

World News

32288 readers
501 users here now

News from around the world!

Rules:

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said 10,000 soldiers would ultimately be deployed to the border area. He made the announcement in a state radio interview a day after a different official said Poland was sending 2,000 additional troops to the border over the next two weeks, essentially doubling its military presence there.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

What do you think? Wouldn't be the first time. But at least this time the Germans seem to be holding back.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

For Russia, or in this case their puppet, to invade a NATO country? Yes, it actually would be the first time.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

For Russia, or in this case their puppet, to invade Poland? No, it actually would not be the first time.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

I hate this saying. It's not explicit, and logical consequence isn't bidirectional, but it implies that those who do remember the past somehow won't repeat it. Which is blatantly false. Many people, even those who intimately know history, want to repeat it. Either because they think material conditions are just different enough to lead to a different result this time, or that the precise way the actions in the past was carried out was subpar and with tiny tweaks it would lead to a different result, etc. I do generally agree with the explicit statement[^1], but I strongly disagree with the implicit statement.

[^1]: And even on the explicit statement I still have reservations. Sometimes material conditions are different enough, or the precise manner in which actions are carried out are different enough that those who know nothing about the past aren't condemned to repeat it: what those who know nothing about the past do is only superficially similar to the past, and can have radically different outcomes.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I appreciate your sentiment but the implication is just not really there, it doesn't express anything about those who do remember the past.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Read my edited footnote. I do not fully agree with the claim itself either.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

I think you're taking it too literary. It's a cautionary tale to not keep doing the same mistakes over and over again but instead to learn from the past mistakes of others.