first person inversion: conscious engagement and the practical past

The historical past is accessible only in books of history written and published by professional historians. The practical past on the other hand, is grounded in an existential present of a subject, who turns to the past searching for an answer to an ethical crisis about 'what to do' in the present. Turning to the past in this way often signifies a dissatisfaction with the present. This distinction between the historical past and the practical past is a reiteration of the difference between morals and ethics