Nasser 1

Fatima Nasser

Ms. Kelly Smith

Theory of Knowledge

March 7, 2022

History as a Giant Data Set: Questions

1. What is the claim of the article?

The claim of the article is that the actions done in the past and present, have a great effect on the

future. So basically, the patterns and cycles used and done in the past are also relevant to

societies and activities in the future.

2. What do you think about the idea of treating history as "big data" to be analyzed?

I think that it is good and bad that history is being treated as “big data” to be analyzed because it

helps us dig deeper into what history really is. It benefits future societies more as historical

theories and data will be tested against large databases and the ones that do not fit the category. It

has a negative effect because it will change our understanding about the past and will converge

something related to an objective truth.

3. Do you agree with the claim of the article? Why or why not?

Yes, I do agree with the claim of the article because it expresses the truth about the past affecting

the future. The things we do now will affect future generations, and the things past societies did

have affected us, in the present. Cycles and patterns we use currently have a deep effect on

historical data. For example, the predicted periods of growth human societies go through are

known as “secular cycles,” and they last two to three centuries and result in widespread unrest.