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Debunking Ford’s relation to the past: history as “Bunk” in Emersonian perspective
Journal of Management History Pub Date : 2021-09-10 , DOI: 10.1108/jmh-07-2020-0048
Peter Watt 1
Affiliation  

Purpose

This paper aims to reconsider the significance of Henry Ford’s claim that “History is more or less bunk”. It argues that this seemingly philistine remark can be understood as a specific historiographical position which informed Ford’s wider worldview, management approach and philosophy of industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on primary philosophical works, secondary criticism and archival evidence. These sources detail the context in which the claim was made, the ideas underpinning its articulation and the conceptual basis on which Ford’s wider perspectives and contributions to historical experience can be interpreted.

Findings

This paper interprets Ford’s claim as a gesture of allegiance to a deeper cultural sensibility that was informed by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s transcendental view of history.

Practical implications

In addition to offering a rereading of Ford’s historiographical position, Emerson’s thought is discussed in relation to Ford’s subsequent “living history” project (Greenfield Village), which is considered the materialisation of his historical and industrial worldview.

Originality/value

This interpretation reveals how a specific historiographical position held by one of the twentieth century’s leading industrialists offers new insights into his wider worldview and philosophy of industry. It contributes to recent studies that challenge taken-for-granted narratives in management history and recent work that has highlighted the influence of transcendental principles on Ford’s philosophy of industry.



中文翻译:

揭穿福特与过去的关系:历史是爱默生视角下的“Bunk”

目的

本文旨在重新考虑亨利福特声称“历史或多或少是胡说八道”的重要性。它认为,这种看似庸俗的言论可以理解为一种特定的史学立场,它为福特更广泛的世界观、管理方法和工业哲学提供了信息。

设计/方法/方法

该论文借鉴了主要哲学著作、次要批评和档案证据。这些资料详细说明了提出这一主张的背景、支撑其表达的思想以及可以解释福特更广泛的观点和对历史经验的贡献的概念基础。

发现

本文将福特的主张解释为对拉尔夫·沃尔多·爱默生 (Ralph Waldo Emerson) 的先验历史观所传达的更深层次的文化敏感性表示忠诚的一种姿态。

实际影响

除了提供对福特史学地位的重读之外,爱默生的思想还与福特随后的“活历史”项目(绿地村)相关,该项目被认为是他的历史和工业世界观的具体化。

原创性/价值

这种解释揭示了 20 世纪一位领先的实业家所持有的特定史学地位如何为他更广泛的世界观和工业哲学提供了新的见解。它有助于最近的研究挑战管理历史中理所当然的叙述,以及强调先验原则对福特工业哲学的影响的近期工作。

更新日期:2021-09-10
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