The Crest of the Peacock: Chapter 1 Reflection

  The book states that rulers in the past recognized that "to control the past is to master the present and thereby consolidate their power". I take "controlling the past" as becoming knowledgeable about history and the origins of things because it is impossible to change what happened in the past. However, it is possible to change our beliefs and expand our knowledge base about past events. This statement is used more contextually by the author, describing how rulers used their broad knowledge and experience to strengthen the power they have in the present. To have knowledge and experience from the past is to have tool and strategies that can be used in the present to further oneself in life, no matter the context. However, how accurate can our experiences be of what truly happened in the past?

    Another point is made by the author on the issue of "who 'makes' science and technology". No matter how much knowledge we attain from the past, if it's heavily-flawed or is exclusive of important viewpoints, how useful is it for our present experiences? The author questions if indigenous scientific and technological was self-sufficient in the pre-colonial period. That is interesting to consider since I usually think of history starting from a European perspective, while there was no history that happened before the Europeans. It is as if "all significant historical developments in science and technology" were attributed to Europe and the rest of the world only contributed an insignificant amount.

    I found it surprising to learn about what happened to the contributions of colonized people. Their work was depreciated to assert European dominance. For example, Egypt and Mesopotamia contributed to the advancement of math before the Greeks, but respect for ancient Egyptian science and civilization declined as seen written in late-1900s writings. This subjugation led to a Eurocentric model of math with Greece. We see how the work of one nation can be taken away as their own in a struggle for power. It is important to question where we get our knowledge and how the knowledge came to be.

Joseph, G. G. (1992). The crest of the peacock. Penguin Books.