But why not have a few "speculations" about historical figures? Maybe i should add that in the "position statement" which is really not a position statement on this board. How could I have a "position" on people's own biographries? One trouble with speculations of this type is that they are so impossible to verify or falsify. Ever since Freud got the idea that deep truths about human psychology could be found in the religious practices of the world there have been many attempts to "prove" or "disprove" the hypothesis. I prefer to stick to the present when possible since the past is dim and the time required to illuminate it is too great an expense for the doubtful returns it may bring. One of the unfortunate mistakes people make in their own lives is to get caught in a preoccupation with "proving" that something happened or didn't happen in their past. Therapists often help such people by encouraging them to come back to the preent where life is actually lived.

One facet of this little unexpected gem stone is the fact that people reveal things about themselves when they tell stories about other people. The Thematic Apperception Test is based on this. But beware of overtly analysing Truth Tree participants! I prefer to do my analysis privately and use my hypotheses about someone in structuring my arguments. Direct confrontation so often backfires.