[helle253]

Knowing facts matters quite a lot imo, even if it doesnt 'seem' like it.

To use another metaphor, you can't REALLY see the forest amongst the trees, if you don't consider the trees themselves.

One of the reasons I like history so much is because, with enough facts accumulated, you can see how one piece of information flows into another - e.g. dates matter, because knowing the precise order in which important events occur helps you determine how those events may or may not have affected each other in the course of their unfolding.

Sure memorizing dates is boring on its own, but putting them in contexts is exciting - you still need to comb the beaches to find the right stones!

[gilleain]

I accept the ordering of dates is important, yes. History can be in the details, but as you say you need to comb the beach for the right stones.

I guess an interesting counterpoint to what I said is something like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_time_conspiracy_theory (and similar) where a grandiose framework tries to fit inconvenient facts into a shape that is entirely invented.