CIAO DATE: 11/2008
August 2004
Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition, McMaster University
Taking the events of September 11, 2001 as a starting point, Timothy Brook poses several important questions in this short essay. What is the role of the historian in illuminating events or moments in time like this one? What notions of time might a historian use in pursuing this task? What is the place of violence in such notions of time? Is it possible to write history without giving primacy to or celebrating violence?
These questions are difficult ones and lead Professor Brook into some intricate philosophical discussions. He begins by noting that historians are best equipped for helping us understand the contexts in which the event experienced took place as well as the contexts in which our experience has become ‘indexed’ to particular meanings. He moves on from this point to note that time and violence are intricately linked in many historical accounts. As he writes, ‘Violence is time-worthy; non-violence is not.’ The linkage is sufficiently strong that it is difficult to imagine history in the absence of violence. He argues that this linkage derives, in part, from seeing historical time as a linear sequence of causes and effects, a kind of ‘chain reaction’ in which violence successfully reproduces itself.
At this point in the essay, he asks the question: what if we look at a different view of time, one where such sequencing does not occur? Drawing from the philosophy of Huayan Buddhism, he suggests the idea of ‘interdependent origination’, summarized in the simple proposition: ‘nothing exists independently of anything else . . . everything that exists does so because of the existence of everything else.’ After working through the implications of this position, he returns to 9/11 and suggests a different way for beginning to understand the event. He also argues that this way of thinking about historical time imposes moral responsibilities, particularly that of showing compassion toward those others on whom we depend. He finishes the essay by considering the question of whether it is possible to write history without celebrating violence.
Resource link: Violence as Historical Time [PDF] - 85K