The word ’history’ is derived from the Greek noun ’historia’ meaning ’inquiry or research.’ Aristotle regarded it as a “systematic account of a set of natural phenomena, whether or not chronological ordering was a factor in the account.” The term “history” has now come to be applied to accounts of events that are narrated in a chronological order, and deal with the past of mankind.
Learning by inquiry about the past of mankind was later developed into a discipline by the Greek historians Thucydides and Heredeotus (who is popularly known as ’Father of History’). E. H. Carn defined history as an “unending dialogue between the present and the past.” Jawaharlal Nehru observed that man’s growth from barbarism to civilization is supposed to be the theme of history.” Will Durant called history “a narrative of what civilized men have thought or done in the past time.”
Proper historical reflection shows the reasons you developed your particular view of the world. It explains how you developed your outward physical characteristics. It allows you to appreciate your own views and the views of others that may seem different to yours.
Can anything worthwhile be gained from continued research into historical events?
History seen as study of the past is an integral part of many education systems across the world. Many countries spend huge amounts of money and resources to uncover their past. Every year new and new historical sites are uncovered, excavations on those sites are conducted and the result are studied by archeologists throughout the world.
But have we gained anything worthwhile from research into the past?
The answer seems clear: Yes, we have.
The Study of history especially into historical battles and wars is beneficial when not vital for the evolution of warfare in the modern world. Military strategists continually study wars such as the World Wars, the Napoleonic Conflicts and many modern wars.
Tactics and strategies are analyzed and continuously refined, so as to improve their effectiveness and efficacy in future conflicts, without historical study into conflicts, advanced warfare tactics prevalent today would never have evolved from those primitive tactics man used to use in wars.
Another importance of history is that it enables one to grasp one’s relationship with one’s past. For example if one wonders why the U.S. flag has 48 stars or why Great Britain follows monarchy, one has to turn to history for an answer.
History is of immense value to social scientists engaged in research. Thus the political scientist doing research on the parliamentary form of government, has to draw his materials from the treasure trove of history.
Excerpts from assosciatedcontent.com written by Anthony Odem:-
Few people would argue that history is important. Few people, that is, who are not students. I have taught American history and Mississippi history and most of the students I’ve had state that history is one of their least favorite subjects. The two main complaints about history is that it is irrelevant to their discipline, and that it is boring. When asked to elaborate on how it is boring, the complaint seems to come back to a question of relevance. “I don’t see how knowing a bunch of stuff about things that happened years ago helps me at all, its not like I’m going to use it” a student once told me on the first day of class. As prepared as I was to teach history, I have to say that I had no idea I’d have to be an apologist for the discipline as well.
One of the hardest questions most history teachers have to answer is, “Why is this stuff important?” In an age of streamlining education and when colleges are becoming more like vocational institutions than classical universities, the issue of relevance becomes all the more important. Most rely on cliche’ responses like “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Today’s savvy, cynical students don’t take to cryptic warnings or deep philosophical truths too well. Personally, I steer clear of this old maxim. When faced with the question of relevance, I prefer to speak in a language my students can understand. History teaches you how to think critically and analytically. These abilities are prized in any discipline, especially business-related fields and even scientific fields. Reading a research study is something anyone can do, but analyzing it takes a skill that history class can hone. Who wrote this study? What were their motives? Who’s paying for it? What is this research trying to prove or gain? Who benefits?
