Is Niall fergusson a good historian?
He causes a lot of butthurt, which is reason enough for me to like him.
He is the rightwing Jared Diamond. He should keep out of politics, the fucking homo
>>348465
>the rightwing Jared Diamond
In his personal views or the way it translates to his work? Diamond seems to rile all sides with his focus on geographic and environmental determinism.
>>348468
>geographic and environmental determinism
If you accept that geography and environment influence genepool and culture then those are really the only two factors in the development of civilizations, I don't get why it causes so much butthurt.
>>348473
>geography and environment influence genepool and culture
That's fine.
>those are really the only two factors in the development of civilizations
That is overly simplistic, outright reductionism to best suit a pet theory.
>>348495
Name another then
I used to think he was ok until I watched a show commemorating 100 years since WWI and he said Britain shouldnt have got involved since Germany now rules Europe through the EU anyway, he seems the kind of retard who'd use the term EUSSR
>>348499
Contingency.
Determinism a shit.
>>346526
He's shit.
He's one of those pop types that uses and twists history to back up his preconcieved political views.
Pure scum.
>>348552
You mean contingencies determined by environmental factors?
>Determinism a shit.
Deal with it
>>346526
If you think the job of a good historian is to wank over the British Empire and prop up bullshit orientalist ideas like the 'Clash of Civilizations'.
I like him.
Expresses a rightwing perspective quite well.
He'd easily handle the post-colonialist theorists for whom colonialism is why the world is bad, methinks.
His spat with Krugman is enjoyable, too.
>>346526
>Niall Fergusson
>Historian
Pick one and only one.
>>348629
Fergusson got wrecked over that Keynes thing. I think he's embarrassing to right-wing politics.
>>348629
He compared the Paris attacks to the fucking fall of Rome, dude. Even if you're similar to him politically, how can you excuse shit like that?
>>346526
No idea. His wife is pretty based though.
He's an embarrassment.
>>349060
Lel what a dummy.
He's a fine historian but, much like Mary Beard, he should not wander outside his field of expertise. The world is over having historians and philosophers as political advisors. Not that economists are doing any real good
I'm not really against conservative historians but Fergusson defends a lot of the undefendable. He's a fan of the Rothschilds for christ's sake.
He seems to have that same reactionary attitude that a lot of 4chan has, that some views are only worth having to piss off liberals.
>conservative
>good historian
Unlikely.
>>348531
But Britain shouldn't have gotten involved in WW1, that's just not the reason.
>>349395
>not conservative
>having a brain
The Pity of War is one of my favorite WWI books and he is absolutely spot-on about colonialism, but he's become the conservative literary version of clickbait.
>>348605
reddit-tier
>>349411
It isn't possible for a human to be alive without a brain at all.
>>349395
Maybe actually read his work instead of flippantly writing him off.
>>349372
Why on earth would you have anything against people with a certain political opinion being historians? Please return to your hugbox.
He's very thorough and persuasive, but politically he's a milktoast conservative from the 80s. Nothing wrong with that, but it's too muh economy for my tastes
>>349411
Well whatever. At least "brainless" you'll get a more clear account of history.
History as we know it was born when some Greek liberal faggot had the balls to write accounts of the contemporary wars of his culture and actually be critical of his people in the name of giving a fair and truthful account. A big step up from fanciful mythology and songs praising the king that become worthless within a century after everyone stops caring about such dated political propaganda. Is Livy the best authority on Rome if you actually want something approaching the truth? No, no by a long shot. There are two things conservatives simply can not do by nature: comedy and history.
>>349438
>i can't read: the post
please return to your dad's testicles
>>349506
>Implying the left don't do propaganda as well
>Implying only the left can think critically
>Implying the left can do comedy
You're like that character in a Harold Pinter play who is baffled by the popularity of right wing politicians because nobody he knows is right wing.
>>349530
No, I know what you wrote. You started by saying that you didn't have anything against conservative historians. Why would you even make that point? Why would his world-view even be relevant?
>>349424
Reddit isn't actually a liberal website.
There are no good historians. All they do is rip off occurrences that they don't know for sure happened in the past.
>>346526
No.
HIs early work on economic history and the Rotschilds was interesting, but by the time he got to writing The Cash Nexus he was already trying to push an agenda proving that the welfare state was impossible. After that he started pointedly pursuing an agenda.
I think he has some valid points about there being a good side to imperialism, but the question was his chops as a historian and I think he's just too much of a pundit-type to be taken seriously as that.
>>349893
Depends on how you measure. Some of the very largest subreddits are.
>>346526
he's an absolute embarrassment
>>348691
Right-wing politics is embarrassing to right-wing politics.
>>349566
>Implying the left can do comedy
Plenty of rightists DO comedy, but the ones that are actually funny are at most left liberals. All unapologetically right-wing comedians are driven by nothing but pure ressentiment.
Man why are the leftists in this thread so intolerant?
If you think someone brings their politics into their work too much that's a fine criticism but some of you are speaking as though it's the TYPE of political view being brought in that's the problem.
>>348473
The biodiversity of the geographic regions Diamond describes directly undermines some of his points
Who could forget
>muh coastlines
>>349506
>Can't do comedy
What is /pol/?
>>348605
>orientalist
Please refrain from using this word
>>348691
>Keynes thing.
You mean his oh-so-insensitive quote? He was objectively right, though. His gay Bloomsbury lifestyle shaped a major part of JM Keynes' world view. Ferguson should not have apologized for it, that's for sure.
>Thinks the sack of Rome by the goths is a good comparison to the terrorist attack on Paris.
He is retarded.
>The Goths captured Rome, terrorist shot some people, never controlled anything except a theater
>Churches functioned as safe havens as Goths had been converted to Christianity
>Western Europe is militarily superior to the Middle East and terrorist attacks are like bee stings.
>>353576
>implying muslims don't control Paris
Just because the ones not doing the violence claim not be part of the same group doesn't they aren't.
>>353582
Don't pretend it's not a stupid fucking metaphor.
>>353592
Only difference is that Goths weren't actively pandered by the locals.
>>353600
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/11/20/what-the-paris-attacks-and-the-fall-of-rome-have-in-common-nothing/
>>349060
>Even if you're similar to him politically, how can you excuse shit like that?
Well I think what is happening in the West is pretty momentous.
The Left have invited in Islam, and remain committed to inviting in Islam, and have also made clear that they will submit to it. Even Charlie Hebdo will abide by Islamic rule now.
So I suppose it is somewhat similar. The culture inviting in its own successor.
Not just Islam, though, but different races generally. Whites don't know what it is to lobby as a group. Other races do, and they'll start commanding the West via this action. The Jews basically already have.
>>353576
What's your point? People also compare it to 9/11, when about 20 times the number of people died. He's making a political point, not historical analysis.
>>346526
>good historian
Yeah if you think reactionary revisionism is "good history".
He's no better than that retard Jared Diamond.
