TOK 2

What do you understand by George Orwell’s comment that “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past”? To what extent do you agree with it, and its implications?

Those who have power in the past by controlling land or politcs control the present. They have gained up power to put into texts books and their accomplishments are discussed and learned. Because of all the power built-up they can control the future as well.
For example the USA became a super power and now hass the ability to control the future and how countries deal with each other. They have leverage on the global level to control and dicatate what happens. The textbooks are written by the 'winners' or countries that have control. An example could be Stalin and Hitler when they had global power. Hitler made the schools teach Nazi idealogy and altered the textbooks in order to engrave into the young scholars heads his ideas of how the World should be. Stalin had people cut out from text books and completly altered textbooks to show his power and just like Hitler, engrave into his comarads heads 'socialism in one country' and all his ieadlogies beat out capitilism. Oppostion was cut out of the textbooks as well to show no other view point can be thought of.

IRL 23

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE656171201006
This is a website that discusses the issues arising between Israel and Turkey over a blockade. This adds value to what we are learning because it adds to present day pressures because of the past events we learned about. The bordering Arab countries alliances against Israel is repeating itself between Turkey and Syria against Israel. The limitation of this article is that it's a blog which is often times solely based on opinion. However, the purpose of showing the Syrian and Turkey collaboration.