Book Description
In Objectivity Is Not Neutrality, Thomas L. Haskell argues for a moderate historicism that acknowledges the force of perspective and reaffirms the pluralistic practices of a liberal democratic society -- even while upholding time-honored distinctions between fact and fiction, scholarship and propaganda, right and might. Haskell addresses questions that will interest philosophers and literary theorists no less than historians, exploring topics ranging from the productivity of slave labor to the cultural concomitants of capitalism, from John Stuart Mill's youthful "mental crisis" to the cognitive preconditions that set the stage for antislavery and other humanitarian reforms after 1750. He traces the surprisingly short history of the word responsibility, which turns out to be no older than the United States. He examines the reasons for the rising authority of professional experts in nineteenth-century America. And he wonders whether the epistemological radicalism of recent years leaves us with any adequate basis for justifying human rights--rights of academic freedom, for example, or the right not to be tortured.
Written by a thoughtful critic of the historical profession, Objectivity Is Not Neutrality calls upon historians to think deeply about the nature of historical explanation and to acknowledge more fully than ever before the theoretical dimension of their work.
Customer Reviews:
The writings of a deeply philosophical historian.......2002-11-12
This is a deeply thoughtful book. Thomas L. Haskell is an excellent historian who brings to his reflections on his craft a deeply informed philosophical bent. This book is a collection of his writings from over twenty years.
The first thing to note is that the title of the book may be somewhat misleading. It is the title of a review that he wrote of Peter Novick's great book, That Noble Dream, on the history of the historical profession in the United States. Haskell's main thrust in that essay and the others that make up the middle section of the book is that objectivity is a social process to which individuals contribute provided that they have or develop a willingness to submit to perpetual criticism. To Haskell, the core skill required is the ability to suspend one's own POV and to "enter sympathetically into the alien and possible repugnant perspectives of rival thinkers" (p.60- my emphasis added). This is much more effortful than it sounds but more on that later. This whole section of the book is an examination of how the ideal of professionalism developed, what it entails, what constitutes its philosophical and political justifications and how it gets practiced or not practiced currently. One of his many points that is worth pondering is to recognize that most of what we take for granted as our commonsensical knowledge of the world is based on expert opinion. "If there is anything at all that justifies the special authority and trustworthiness of community-sponsored opinions, as I believe there is, it lies in the fact that these truth claims have weathered competition more sever than would be thought acceptable in ordinary human communities."(178) This is worth thinking about- to the extent that the research programs of science and the humanities become corporation or nation state directed is the extent to which we should become more hesitant about taking their "community-sponsored opinions" at face value. One of the sad ironies of the current state of science is that even though our knowledge of the world gets increasingly arcane and complex and therefore increasingly hard for us to judge, the grounds we have for trusting experts seem to be increasingly shakey.
One of the things that I like about Haskell's book is the way he takes the time to develop subtle arguments. The third section of the book is an example of this. Haskell puts forth an original and powerful thesis that is a variation of the old idea that it is anachronistic to judge the past by the standards of the present. Haskell goes deeper than that. He is interested in what he calls, "the conventions of moral responsibility" (238). These are the rules for assessing blame, responsibility and praise. Haskell's point is that over time more and more of our societal and personal life has come to be seen as something that we have control over. This has occurred in part because we have come to have an increasingly rich repertoire of recipes (Haskell's term drawing on the work of philosophers H.L.A. Hart, Douglas Gasking and Joel Feinberg) that allow us to accurately work our way to a desired result. As the recipes spread in use through out a society and as it becomes increasingly possible for individuals to control the shape of their future, the arena of moral culpability grows. We cannot be held accountable for what we cannot reasonably change. We can be held accountable for not living up to everyday standards. Haskell applies these ideas to the rise of the humanitarianism during the late 1700s and early 1800s. He points out the example of abolitionists like Wendell Phillips who early on in his career maintained a distinction between the exploitation of slaves and that of poor white laborers. At some point in the 1800s it became less common to assume that the lower classes of whites were completely responsible for their situation. Up until then, their plight had been seen to be the result of their moral laxity or their inability to master the arts of self-mastery. As the culture began to acknowledge the possibility that the working poor may not have much control over much of the circumstances of their lives, it became less possible to hold them accountable and reformers like Phillips showed greater and greater sympathy for their plight.
Haskell feels that the rise of capitalism was instrumental in the developing of the culture of humanitarianism. I will leave it to you to read his book to see how he develops this argument. Regardless of how you end up judging his success (I found his argument to be more intriguing than convincing), I believe you will be persuaded by his idea that such a history of the conventions of moral responsibility is necessary in order to have a true appreciation of the past.
As I said at the beginning, this is a deeply thoughtful book. It does not stake out popular nor easy positions but challenges the reader to really engage the past in a way that may be as revealing about our own moral presuppositions as about those of the period or people we are studying. I found it to be very much worth the time and effort of careful reading.
Book Description
The most famous Native American book ever written, Black Elk Speaks is the acclaimed story of Lakota visionary and healer Nicholas Black Elk (1863–1950) and his people during the momentous, twilight years of the nineteenth century. Black Elk grew up in a time when white settlers were invading the Lakotas’ homeland, decimating buffalo herds and threatening to extinguish their way of life. Black Elk and other Lakotas fought back, a dogged resistance that resulted in a remarkable victory at the Little Bighorn and an unspeakable tragedy at Wounded Knee.
Beautifully told through the celebrated poet and writer John G. Neihardt, Black Elk Speaks offers much more than a life story. Black Elk’s profound and arresting religious visions of the unity of humanity and the world around him have transformed his account into a venerated spiritual classic. Whether appreciated as a collaborative autobiography, a history of a Native American nation, or an enduring spiritual testament for all humankind, Black Elk Speaks is unforgettable.
This special edition features all three prefaces to Black Elk Speaks that John G. Neihardt wrote at different points in his life, a map of Black Elk’s world, a reset text with Lakota words reproduced using the latest orthographic standards, and color paintings by Lakota artist Standing Bear that have not been widely available for decades.
Customer Reviews:
Native Respect.......2007-07-29
Both Thomas E.Mails and John Niehardt have brought to life the true nature of the Native American in their masterly renditions of their interviews with these Medicine (Holy) men, both Fools Crow and Black Elk. The result is an understanding of the simple honesty, good nature and trust that initially left them so open to exploitation. More importantly, they demonstrated a sincere belief in God that the 'White Man' was singularly lacking in the early pioneers. Their beliefs ran parallel with the Primitive Church as established by Jesus during his ministry in the Middle Ages.Fools Crow
A Great Vision.......2006-05-08
_Over the years I have read this book in the wilderness and in the wasteland. Every time that I have reread it I have come away renewed.
_There are just so many levels on which this account can be appreciated. It is one of the best first-hand accounts of plains life- from camp life, to the march, the hunt, courting, healing, etc. It is also one of the best first-hand accounts of historical events- the Fetterman Fight, the Wagon box Fight, Red Cloud's Treaty, the Custer Fight, Wounded Knee... It is also a first-rate autobiography of the deepest thoughts of a man who fears that he may not have lived up to his God-given destiny. But, above all, it is a legitimate Revelation from the world beyond.
_At times Black Elk seems to despair that he didn't live up to his great vision. Personally, I do not see this. He did what he was supposed to do. First, he brought his vision to his people in the form of the magnificent Horse Dance. Then, in his twilight years, he wisely brought the same vision to the outside world in the form of this book. This was too powerful and universal a vision to be confined to one people alone. Every part of it resonates with the Perennial Philosophy, the eternal religion that underlies all true Tradition- from the World Tree at the center of the people's hoop, to the certain knowledge that the things of this world are but a shadow of the true Reality of the next.
_As far as the sacred herb of four blossoms is concerned that he saw at the end of the forth ascent- that was the rebirth of the sacred tree from sacred seed. This book is that seed.
Wisdom and Inspiration Abound!.......2006-03-16
This is an exceptionally moving book for anyone yearning to know more about Native American spirituality. Black Elk was truly a man filled with the holy spirit. It reminds me of the book, Walking the Trail, One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears. Both are highly recommended.
A Religious Classic?.......2006-01-11
It says on the jacket of this book that Black Elk Speaks belongs in the company of 'religious classics'. Maybe so, but even if you regard his visions as indicative of a religious experience, the parts of the book dedicated to the description of these visions make for rather tedious reading. The real meat of the book is his decriptions of the last of the major indian battles at Rosebud, Little Big Horn (Custer's Last Stand), and Wounded Knee. Black Elk and his friends were there, and lived through those harrowing days. A must-read book for anyone who wants to know how it really was.
Black Elk Speaks.......2005-09-20
I am really enjoying reading this book. It is the second time for me but it is as good as the first time. I know it is the kind of book that I will read over and over again!
Book Description
In 1931 John Neihardt traveled to Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota to interview Lakota elders who had witnessed the Ghost Dance and the Wounded Knee Massacre. He met Black Elk, and their two weeks of intense talks became Black Elk Speaks, one of the most important biographies of an American Indian ever published. Accompanying John Neihardt to help him observe and to take notes were his two daughters, Enid and Hilda. For the first time Hilda Neihardt presents her memories of those interviews. She celebrates the days and nights of storytelling, camping, feasting, and horseback riding with the fresh eyes of a bright fourteen year old. The volume includes never-before-published photographs and answers many questions about the collaboration between the Lakota holy man and her father, called Peta Wigamou-Gke, or Flaming Rainbow. Hilda Neihardt lives on the west bank of the Missouri River near Tekamah, Nebraska. For years a private attorney, she now devotes much of her time to presentations in schools and to service organizations.
Customer Reviews:
A must read.......2003-01-09
Anyone who has ever read "Black Elk Speaks" should put this book "Black Elk and Flaming Rainbow" on their must read list. Written by a woman who was there during the interviews, this book sheds much light on the arguement of whether "Black Elk Speaks" is fiction or non-fiction. It also explains why "Black Elk Speaks" could not have been written exactly as Black Elk had told his story to Neihardt. The book also touches lightly on interviews leading to the writing of "When the Tree Flowered" also by John Neihardt, as well as "The Sacred Pipe" by Joseph Epes Brown. This book is a must read for anyone interested in Lakota culture.
Customer Reviews:
The Sacred Pipe.......2007-01-10
Black Elk is and was sacred Elder. Through his life we are given this knowledge. He has helped many to understand the way of the Lakota; following the natural law. While not all Lakota follow the traditional ways as closely as they did before the arrival of the white man, they are still connected to these rites and inhierently understand these teachings. It's only to outside world that these things become suprising moments of clarity. Joseph Epes Brown took time before it was too late, to record these teachings, which is a blessing and a gift of knowledge to all who would read, understand and heed these words. If you wish to learn what dwells is in the hearts of Native American people, you would do well to open this book and your minds.
Profound and deeply rewarding. .......2006-07-27
I haven't actually finished this book yet but I'm looking forward to doing so. This spirituality is deeply sophisticated and elevated. I think the whole world is greatly indebted to the American Indian Nation. Furthermore, thank you for wonderful service.
Gain an understanding of the Sioux way of thinking.......2004-04-01
A beautiful book. You can learn about Siuox religious practie and beliefs. The reader will come away with a sense of how similar religios faiths can be. The Sioux it turns out are not so different from Christians, Hindus or any other group that uses faith to guide people through what is both difficult and beautiful in life.
Rituals Described in Great Detail.......2004-03-08
I recommend reading this book if you are interested in the rituals and culture of the Lakota. It provides clear and interesting discussions of major rituals that form important components of their way of life. The material is drawn largely from interviews with Black Elk, and the writing really explains significance of important details in the various practices. The book also provides a good basis for understanding how the cultural practices fit into Lakota history. This book is also a fine one to read in relation to "Black Elk Speaks," "The 6th Grandfather," and "When the Tree Flowered."
If you want peace, read this book.......2004-01-31
Joseph Epes Brown was fortunate in meeting men who possessed great human and spiritual qualities, especially Black Elk who had a unique quality of power, kindliness and sense of mission. Born in 1862, Black Elk grew up when his people had the freedom of the plains, hunted bison; he fought at Little Bighorn and at Wounded Knee Creek and knew Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, and American Horse. He traveled with Buffalo Bill to Italy, France and England. During his youth Black Elk was instructed in the sacred love of his people by Whirlwind Chaser, Black Road and Elk Head from whom he learned the history and deep meanings of his people's spiritual heritage. Through prayer, fasting and deep understanding of his heritage, Black Elk became a wise man, receiving visions and acquiring special powers to be used for the good of his nation. Because of his sense of mission Black Elk wanted this book to be written so that the reader could gain a better understanding of the truths of the Indian traditions.
In his foreword Black Elk tells us: "There is much talk of peace among the Christians, yet this is just talk. Perhaps it may be, and this is my prayer, through our sacred pipe, and through this book in which I shall explain what our pipe really is, peace may come to those people who can understand, an understanding which must be of the heart and not of the head alone. Then they will realize that we Indians know the One true God, and that we pray to Him continually. I have wished to make this book through no other desire than to help my people in understanding the greatness and truth of our own tradition, and also to help in bringing peace upon the earth, not only among men, but within men and between the whole of creation."
The wisdom of the Indians is based on such concepts as "The Earth is your Grandmother and Mother, and She is sacred. Every step that is taken upon her should be as a prayer" and "Every dawn as it comes is a holy event, every day is holy." The Indians developed their own religion based on the gift of the sacred pipe given by a very beautiful woman who approached two Lakota Indians out hunting. One of them had bad intentions and he and the mysterious woman were wrapped in a cloud. When the cloud lifted the sacred woman was standing there and at her feet was the man who was nothing but bones and terrible snakes were eating him. Black Elk interpreted this as an eternal truth: "Any man who is attached to the senses and to the things of this world, is one who lives in ignorance and is being consumed by snakes which represent his own passions." The mysterious woman presented the tribe with a pipe and stone, explaining the significance of the gift. On her departure she said to the Standing Hollow Horn: "Behold this pipe! Always remember how sacred it is, and treat it as such, for it will take you to the end. Remember, in me there are four ages. I am leaving now, but I shall look back upon your people in every age, and at the end I shall return." These four ages find a parallel in the Hindu tradition during which true spirituality becomes increasingly obscured until the cycle closes with catastrophe, after which the primordial spirituality is restored and the cycle begins once again.
Through the rite of the keeping of the soul, the Indians purified the souls of the dead and increased love for one another. This rite is followed by the rite of purification, known to us as the sacred lodge. The ritual of "Crying for a Vision" was used long before the coming of the sacred pipe. Crazy Horse received most of his power through "lamenting" or crying for a vision for some great event or ordeal such as going on the war path. "But perhaps the most important reason for 'lamenting' is that it helps us to realize our oneness with all things, to know that all things are our relatives; and then in behalf of all things we pray to Wakan-Tanka that He may give to us knowledge of Him who is the source of all things, yet greater than all things." Chapters are devoted to the Sun dance - one of the greatest rites; to "The making of Relatives" reflecting the relationship between man and Wakan-Tanka; preparing a girl for womanhood; and the rite of "The Throwing of the ball." Through these ceremonies we learn how the Sioux have come to terms with God, nature and their fellow man.
If you question the superiority and validity of the goals of western society; if you are conducting a self-examination; if you are re-evaluating the premises and orientations of our society; if you are concerned about our environmental crisis; if you are concerned about the problems created by highly developed technology; if you are questioning our basic values concerning life, nature and the destiny of man; if you are open to look at the models represented by the American Indians; if you want talk about peace to become action about peace you will find something of value in this book.
Customer Reviews:
A Great Vision.......2006-05-08
_Over the years I have read this book in the wilderness and in the wasteland. Every time that I have reread it I have come away renewed.
_There are just so many levels on which this account can be appreciated. It is one of the best first-hand accounts of plains life- from camp life, to the march, the hunt, courting, healing, etc. It is also one of the best first-hand accounts of historical events- the Fetterman Fight, the Wagon box Fight, Red Cloud's Treaty, the Custer Fight, Wounded Knee... It is also a first-rate autobiography of the deepest thoughts of a man who fears that he may not have lived up to his God-given destiny. But, above all, it is a legitimate Revelation from the world beyond.
_At times Black Elk seems to despair that he didn't live up to his great vision. Personally, I do not see this. He did what he was supposed to do. First, he brought his vision to his people in the form of the magnificent Horse Dance. Then, in his twilight years, he wisely brought the same vision to the outside world in the form of this book. This was too powerful and universal a vision to be confined to one people alone. Every part of it resonates with the Perennial Philosophy, the eternal religion that underlies all true Tradition- from the World Tree at the center of the people's hoop, to the certain knowledge that the things of this world are but a shadow of the true Reality of the next.
_As far as the sacred herb of four blossoms is concerned that he saw at the end of the forth ascent- that was the rebirth of the sacred tree from sacred seed. This book is that seed.
This Bison Books edition is the first that I read- it is filled with hand drawn illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
"Nicholas" Black Elk An American Saint.......2006-02-05
"Black Elk - Holy Man of The Oglala" by Michael F. Steltenkamp is a most fascinating little treasure.
You may "think" that you know something about Black Elk (perhaps from "Black Elk Speaks" and other books about him, but Steltenkamp presents "Nicholas Black Elk" as he lived more than two thirds of his life: as a Catholic catechist and Christian community leader.
It is so inspiring to see how this "holy man" (and I believe "Saint" , though not canonized by the Church) interpreted the religion of the native Americans into a proleptic vision of the arrival of Jesus Christ and the christian faith.
and even more inspiring is to read of how this man truly lived that faith day to day himself. i know how impressed i was by one simple photgrpah of Nicholas Black Elk standing with a group and holdong his rosary beads . . .proud but devout.
Some "pseudo-scholars" may try to down-play the true religious piety of this Sioux "holy man" by claiming it was a mere ruse to adapt to the "power" of the occupying white invaders . . . but read the book and see that those who actually knew him knew better.
He walked miles praying his rosary to go and lead funeral services (though only a catechist he served almost in the role of "deacon"). . . He even had the experience of a miracle attributed to the intercession of Saint Therese of Lisieux healing his little "Nicholas" and saving the boys life when he asked that a prayer be said to saint Therese.
And as he predicted there were even signs in the night sky the night he passed away into eternity.
I recommend that you get a copy of this book and read it and then re-read it again and again. You will gain a new spiritual friend and companion on your own pilgrimage journey through this world and through your life. And it sure is nice to have a "holy man' and a kindly man like Nicholas Black Elk praying for you and with you in heaven . . . and to inspire you by his own life story.
Whether the Church he loved ever gets around to enrolling him with the "official saints" or not, he will always be on my own scroll of saints when i pray. And i suspect if you read this book, he will be on yours as well. :)
Indispensable companion to Black Elk Speaks.......2002-09-28
Steltenkamp does a superb job of describing Black Elk's years as a devout Catholic -- Black Elk converted in 1904 and remained a praying Christian until his death in 1950 -- and demonstrating that the Lakota holy man's Christianity was an organic continuation of his earlier years as a Lakota traditionalist. This book thus provides a necessary complement to Black Elk Speaks, which avoids discussing the second half of Black Elk's life. Not to be missed by anyone who wants to learn about the real Black Elk -- and thus give a great saint and prophet his due.
Was Black Elk a Noble Savage?.......1999-07-17
This is a mild revisionist biography of Black Elk. The account has a definite ring of truth. The book received the *Alpha Sigma Nu Award* in 1994. Based on extensive ethnohistorical research of archival sources and extensive interviews with the daughter of Black Elk, author Steltenkamp (who has a Ph.D. in anthropology) shows that many of the biographies of Black Elk are highly mythologized. Most interesting, it turns out that Black Elk was a committed Catholic and Christian missionary to his own people for the last 46 years of his life (he died in 1950 at about age 90). Why did the previous biographers fail to tell that? Why keep secret that Black Elk was a Christian? Steltenkamp concludes that it would have compromised his Indianness. For example, John Neihardt, who wrote the classic biography *Black Elk Speaks* (1932)--which I personally read several times by the time I had graduated from high school in 1953--avoided the issue by focusing on Black Elk's 19th century life. (Black Elk participated as a teenager in the Custer Massacre and witnessed the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee.) Neihardt instead "highlighted 'the end of the trail' and 'vanishing American' themes" (19, xiv). Steltenkamp reviews the work of the Jesuit missionaries among the Lakota in a good light. He leads his reader to understand the lay public's bias against missionaries, seeing them as part of the ethnocide of the Lakota, and how the mythological accounts of Black Elk, the "traditionalist who will lead his people back to cultural revival," supports this view. But of course if Black Elk was a Christian trying to lead his people into American Catholicism, this would ruin everything. Like the famous Chief Seattle (see the July 1993 issue of Reader's Digest), Black Elk was used to perpetuate false romantic myths of Noble Savages. key words: missiology, ecological Noble Savage, revisionism, myth of primitive harmony, New Ageism, idealization of primitivity
A Truly Unique Representation of the famous Oglala Sioux.......1999-01-13
Michael F. Steltenkamps research of this widely researched Indian is a fascinating for lack of a better word. He shows the man's later coversion to Catholicism in the 60 years following "Black Elk Speaks." A great resource!
Read this book as an example of an author's religious bias........1998-10-21
Steltenkamp continues the tradition of looking at Indians through the lens of Christian prejudice. The book neglects to explore the fact that Black Elk's daughter, Lucy, was kept from any knowledge of Nick Black Elk's medicine training and practice. Nor does the text examine the shame and shock inducing behavior of the Christian priest who barged into the middle of Black Elk's healing of a patient, discarding the healer's tools, ridiculing him and depriving the patient of healing, literally yanking him out of practice, nor the other priests who continued to badger this medicine man, (a man revered by his people) until he gave in for the safety of his family. The book also fails to give the details behind the fact that Lucy's brother was knowledgeble about and supportive of Nick's practice as a medicine man. For those who are willing to give the text a close reading, you'll see how the author unwittingly reveals the methods of Christian clerics' destruction of an ancient culture, the results of that destruction, and how Nick Black Elk, deposed and put in service of the priests, was at least able to tap their pockets and provide for his family. As an example of yet another writer's Christian bias toward the Indians with examples of their brainwashing and coercion, so thorough, that even the child of this famous healer was kept in the dark about the truth of her own father, this book is worth a read.
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Books Index
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General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Historiography in the Twentieth Century: From Scientific Objectivity to the Postmodern Challenge
That Noble Dream: The 'Objectivity Question' and the American Historical Profession (Ideas in Context)
The Emergence of Professional Social Science: The American Social Science Association and the Nineteenth-Century Crisis of Authority
On the Edge of the Cliff: History, Language and Practices (Parallax: Re-visions of Culture and Society)
Historical Truth and Lies About the Past: Reflections on Dewey, Dreyfus, de Man, and Reagan
