The “Great Man” theory of history is usually attributed to the Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle, who wrote that “the history of the world is but the biography of great men.” He believed that it is the few, the powerful and the famous who shape our collective destiny as a species. That theory took a serious beating this year.
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Time Essay: The Game of the Name
“Giving a name,” Thomas Carlyle once said, “is a poetic art.” Perhaps, but it can also be a trying one. Item: Retreating before the distemper of feminists who do not like all hurricanes to bear women's names, Government meteorologists this year will christen storms not only Aletta but Bud and Daniel and Fico.