Presentism and judging the past

Oxford historian Lawrence Goldman dismantles modern narratives about slavery, empire, reparations, and British identity | Earn up to 4 per cent on gold, paid in gold: https://www.monetary-metals.com/heretics. 

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In this wide-ranging conversation, Oxford historian Lawrence Goldman joins the Heretics podcast to challenge some of the most widely repeated claims about slavery, colonialism, reparations, and British history. Drawing on decades of academic research and teaching at Oxford, Goldman argues that much of today’s debate about empire and slavery is driven more by politics than by historical evidence.

The discussion explores how slavery existed across almost every civilization, why the British Empire is often singled out despite broader global contexts, and whether the Industrial Revolution was actually built on the profits of slavery. Goldman also explains why many historians reject the idea that modern societies should pay reparations for events that occurred centuries ago, and why such policies may deepen division rather than resolve it.

Along the way, the conversation touches on the Arab slave trade, the economics of abolition, the dangers of judging the past purely through modern moral standards, and how technological change helped make slavery obsolete. Goldman also reflects on the idea of Britishness, the legacy of parliamentary democracy, immigration, national identity, and the cultural tensions shaping Western societies today.

This is a deep dive into the historical arguments behind some of the most controversial political debates of our time.

#history #reparations #britishempire 

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Chapters: 

0:00 The Reparations Debate

5:00 Who Is Responsible for Slavery Today?

10:10 Slavery Was EVERYWHERE in History

14:30 The ARAB Slave Trade Explained

19:00 Why Britain Developed a Unique Social Culture

23:20 Did Slavery Fund the Industrial Revolution?

27:40 The Problem With Judging History by Modern Morals

33:20 Would Reparations Actually Work?

39:00 The £18 Trillion Reparations Claim

44:00 Is British Identity UNDER ATTACK?

49:10 What Does “Britishness” Really Mean?

53:00 Immigration, Democracy and Cultural Change

59:50 A Heretic Lawrence admires

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