That history contains errors, will not come as news to a person who has reflected on the topic. The very first history, a Greek one, History of Herodotus, written around 450 BC, likely had quite a number of fictional details so as to effect its purpose.1 Those parts of our history which are suspected to be fiction are, at least, through research and comparison, salvageable. What, however, is possibly more disturbing than the realization that, in general and throughout, our history is wrong (a sub-topic which I shall treat to a greater extent further on, herein) is the realization that there are great gaps in it. We have failed to record and gather together the little human events which make up the fabric of history: it is little events, strung together and accumulated over time, which account for our place in history.
Though it may have been, in certain of its parts, reconstructed incorrectly and small shards are missing here and there, history, by a well-read and descriptive author, like a Grecian urn, is a spectacle to behold; like man himself -- fascinating, seductive, intriguing, and spectacular. Maybe most are like me, I enjoy observing, at a safe distance, the follies and misfortunes2 of my fellow men. An author of history must adopt a method to gratify the natural curiosity that most of us have about the bloody events of times past. History, like all literature, must be written in a lively and descriptive manner.
Rubenstein Richard, The Cunning of History. Harper and Row, 1975. Retrieved on December 04, 2013.
The study of past events have been a common practice of mankind since the verbal telling of stories by our ancestors. William Cronon, in his article “Why the Past Matters,” asserts that the remembrance of the past “keeps us in place.” Our individual memories and experiences shape how we act in our daily lives. In addition to influencing us at an individual level, our collective history binds us together as a society. Without knowing where we have been or what we have experienced, it is nearly impossible to judge progress or know which courses of action to pursue. The goal of the historian is to analyze and explain past events, of which they rarely have firsthand memory of, and apply the gained knowledge to make connections with current and future events.
Robert Morgan claims that history is not just made up of a few heros and villians.“It is natural and perhaps necessary for historians and story-tellers to view the dramatic shifts of history through
John Lewis Gaddis, in his book, The Landscape of History, generates a strong argument for the historical method by bringing together the multiple standpoints in viewing history and the sciences. The issue of objective truth in history is addressed throughout Gaddis’s work. In general, historians learn to select the various events that they believe to be valid. Historians must face the fact that there is an “accurate” interpretation of the past ceases to exist because interpretation itself is based on the experience of the historian, in which people cannot observe directly (Gaddis 10). Historians can only view the past in a limited perspective, which generates subjectivity and bias, and claiming a piece of history to be “objective” is simplistic. Seeing the world in a multidimensiona...
In a comprehensive summary and analyzation of the history of mankind’s record of affairs, Mark T. Gilderhus tackles the many aspects of the overall biography of human existence. Through scrutiny of the goals of past and present historians, a brief explanation of the origins of historiography, a thorough exploration of the philosophies behind history, and a review of the modern approach to past events, Gilderhus sums up the entirety of historical thought in one hundred and twenty-five pages. His superior knowledge is exemplified through his work which effectively conveys the full extent of historiography.
Books, to the scholar, should only be used as a link to gathering information about the past. For these books do not give a definite factual account of the past; they provide information for man to form his own opinions. These books were written by men who already had formulated ideas in their heads spawned by other books. Man must look to these books for inspiration in creating his own thoughts. He must use all the possible resources available to get every side and every opinion out there. When man creates his own thoughts, using every source to aid h...
History is the investigation of occasions that have just gone through the stream of time (“1941,” 1). History specialists decipher occasions and after that procedure them into an account that tells circumstances and end results [2] . History can't be viewed in general, on the grounds that there is such a great amount of data to deal with. In this way, a student of history must pick and pick what to see at with a specific end goal to better comprehend history.
The article looks at the Roman philosopher Cicero’s first law of history, which states that “the historian must not dare to tell any falsehood” (1), and the idea of historical truth and objectivity in modern thought. Assis mainly addresses the criticism of contemporary philosophers and historians, especially postmodernists, who argue that “extra-disciplinary, non-cognitive, interest-led, ideological, gendered, moral, rhetorical, or literary factors that strongly frame the production of historical knowledge” (2). The author defends Cicero’s first law by redefining it and arguing that it has a basis in epistemology and professional ethics. After putting forward several arguments, he eventually concludes that “Objectivity... does not stand in opposition to subjectivity—on the contrary, it is actually tied up with subjective dispositions, virtues, and skills that help shape responsible historiography” (1). His first argument is to redefine Cicero’s first law. Dismissing the interpretation of it as a radical rationalist statement, Assis argues that it can simply be seen as saying that “historians ought not to pass on as true what they know is untrue.” and “should shun the kind of partiality or animosity that could lead them to deliberately distort what they believe to be the truth, or omit inconvenient facts from their accounts of the past” (7). He expounds by explaining that “lying, either in history writing or in ordinary life, differs categorically from making a mistake” (7). By doing this, Assis shows that the first law does not necessarily discount natural human limitations and supports his thesis. Furthermore, Assis argues that the principle in question is essential to historiography and that “the very existence of serious historical research and writing is highly dependent on [its] effectiveness” (16). The principle of
History is repetitive and that requires our constant vigilance to thus pay attention (Stearns). It is proven that in history those who do not st...
It is often said that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. It is true that technology has changed civilization and wars have shaped the earth, but, loosely speaking: the duties of man, the importance of knowledge and our morals are still almost the same as they were since the dawn of civilization. For the last 8,500 years man has harvested, learned and practiced righteousness. Yet, man is always progressive. We seek to find the most efficient means of working, learn as much as we can and search for what is meaning of “good”. Man has learned a lot from the past successes and past mistakes making written history possibly our greatest invention. What has happened in written history that we might have overlooked or forgotten? What can we see happening to our nation now that should be avoided due to past failures? And where have we progressed? Our time is compared to many times in history but in this paper we will compare it to Europe in the Middle Ages. How are the Middle Ages in Europe like the U.S. today and how is it different? How is this good and how is this bad?
Though at times one can be told to not dwell on the past, the study of history is complete different means. After reading the papers, Why Study History? by Jerry Bentley and Why Study History (1998) by Peter N. Stearns, the many complex reasons of why one should study history were made clear. Both authors addressed that history teaches change and human nature, referencing known reasons that make history relevant in everyone’s life. Author Bentley made his writing focus around the theme of making connections and gaining a basic understanding of the current world around us. On the other hand, author Stearns wrote mainly that history is important to the functioning of our modern day societies, for it adds skills and moral values. The study of
Everyone today is evolved in today’s history, and will pass down the many stories that shape the world for incoming generations. Moreover, everyone has a different perspective on events that happen in the past and present, which creates differing stories and overlapping similarities. Our history is gathered from historians who provide facts and stories of relevant or important characters, issues, or events through details that differ from groups and cultures portrayed during that time. This can be seen in Herodotus’s The Histories (Book Seven). Although Herodotus is the first historian, his takes relevant and important information in an overly-detailed and story-like style of telling history.
History is an important element of international studies and its purpose is to compile an accurate representation of the past. The subject of history is often broken into different categories, such as political and diplomatic, economic, labor, cultural and social, intellectual, and environmental history. The past can be discovered or recorded through written, oral, or visual means. While some aspects of history, such as an event and when it took place, may be “set in stone”, causation of an event is often debated between historians. What historians decide upon as fact can change as more evidence comes to light and technology improve analysis techniques.
“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” This famous quote from Edmund Burke is one that many of us are familiar with. In spite of this, many people disregard history, branding it as unimportant or irrelevant to modern-day situations. However, history is actually a quite important subject with a myriad of lessons to be learned for anybody to apply now and in the future. Additionally, history gives us much needed information about our past, keeping us from forgetting why our nations became the way they are. It allows us to draw parallels between modern events and past events to collect our best judgment and gives us the important knowledge of the origin of our modern world, giving extra credibility
Though our history may bring back horrible memories of the ?grimmest dimensions of human nature? (Limerick 472), it is necessary to have a good historical background. History gives us the ability to improve future outputs, satisfy our unending need for knowledge, and understand how many policies and regulations have come to be. Without history mankind would be very primitive and ununified. Our complete molding of the world today is almost completely dependent on the fact that we study our history. Without history present day humans would be nothing more than cavemen.