On Great Men
On Great Men
The 'Great Man' theory of history is a 19h century idea that at the centre of great historical events, there is a person (generally a man) that is the locus of that event, and its motivating force. This theory holds that history is driven by exceptional individuals.
On a personal level, the idea of a ‘Great Men’ is a stereotype we apply to people of prominence in our individual experience. They serve as a useful model by which we may guide our own actions by in order to achieve our uniquely personal versions of success.
Everyone has had heroes and role models, but it has never been necessary to put ‘Man’ in the title. There are ‘Great People’ we have all looked up to as we found our way in the world and constructed both personal and world history. But, as each of us age these heroes are humanized. They become like us: fallible, full of possibility, both locked within and driving history, and each potentially great.
