If true history contradicts any moral we wish to teach, our moral must be wrong, and we had better abandon it.
Source: On Education, especially in early childhood, 1926, by Bertrand Russell
More info.: https://russell-j.com/beginner/OE11-120.HTM
* a brief comment:
This is a story from a time when competition for university entrance was intense. In high school Japanese history classes, the period covering the Second World War and postwar history was often dealt with only briefly, on the grounds that it was seldom asked about in university entrance examinations. As a result, little attention was given in class to the actual realities of the Pacific War or to how the leaders responsible for the war were treated afterwards.
How about now? Eighty years have passed since the end of the war, and I imagine that Japanese history classes now cover the Second World War in greater detail. However, there are teachers who believe that the mistakes committed by their own country -- whether by its politicians or its military -- should be addressed frankly, and there are others who do not. It is likely that the content taught varies considerably depending on the teacher.
Moreover, it seems to me that among Japan's present-day conservatives, there are not a few who are the descendants of those who drove Japan into war or of their supporters. This cannot be confirmed without detailed investigation, but it is a matter of great concern to me.
In any case, the following words of Bertrand Russell express a timeless truth, one that we should remember from time to time:
If true history contradicts any moral we wish to teach, our moral must be wrong. , and we had better abandon it.
