The Future Is Unpredictable Even When It’s Certain
null By Gerard BakerJan. 15, 2024 1:41 pm ETJournal Editorial Report: Paul Gigot interviews pollster Mark Penn. Images: AP/Zuma Press Composite: Mark KellyPresentism is among the most pernicious tendencies of our age. The urge to view historical events through the sentiments and values of the present reflects a lack of perspective, empathy and imagination. It leads to the tyranny that tears down statues, cancels art and rewrites literature. It reaches its nadir in the epic nonsense of some third-rate functionary at a leading American institution thinking he is equipped to pass moral judgment on William Penn.There’s another form of presentism, less malevolent but equally misleading and potentially as dangerous. Just as always seeing history from the standpoint of the now corrupts our understanding of the past, peering ahead can distort our ability to make useful judgments about the future. Copyright ©2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8A
Jan. 15, 2024 1:41 pm ET
Presentism is among the most pernicious tendencies of our age. The urge to view historical events through the sentiments and values of the present reflects a lack of perspective, empathy and imagination. It leads to the tyranny that tears down statues, cancels art and rewrites literature. It reaches its nadir in the epic nonsense of some third-rate functionary at a leading American institution thinking he is equipped to pass moral judgment on William Penn.
There’s another form of presentism, less malevolent but equally misleading and potentially as dangerous. Just as always seeing history from the standpoint of the now corrupts our understanding of the past, peering ahead can distort our ability to make useful judgments about the future.
Copyright ©2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
About this article
Gerry Baker is Editor at Large of The Wall Street Journal. His weekly column for the editorial page, “Free Expression,” appears in The Wall Street Journal each Tuesday. Mr. Baker is also host of “WSJ at Large with Gerry Baker,” a weekly news and current affairs interview show on the Fox Business Network, and the weekly WSJ Opinion podcast "Free Expression" where he speaks with some of the world's leading writers, influencers and thinkers about a variety of subjects.
Mr. Baker previously served as Editor in Chief of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones from 2013-2018. Prior to that, Mr. Baker was Deputy Editor in Chief of The Wall Street Journal from 2009-2013. He has been a journalist for more than 30 years, writing and broadcasting for some of the world’s most famous news organizations, including his tenure at The Financial Times, The Times of London, and The BBC.
He was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford University, where he graduated in 1983 with a 1st Class Honors Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
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