HISTORY: ITS DEFINITION AND SIGNIFICANCE

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

1. explain the meaning of history;

2. discuss the importance and significance of history; and
3. illustrate history as part of our everyday lives.

DEFINING HISTORY

“What is history? An echo of the past in the future; a reflex from the
future on the past”. – Victor Hugo

Consider the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the phrase word history.

Dates, heroes, historical sites, and artifacts, in short memorization, are some
ideas that you might have. With the number of learners, history is a boring subject or
irrelevant to their chosen field or career or even to their lives. But for some, history is
an interesting subject that helps individuals to understand the environment around us.
Thus, one of the reasons could be a lack of understanding of what history truly means
and its importance in one's life and the destiny of a nation.

Merriam-Webster (2018) defines history as "a chronological record of

significant events (such as those affecting a nation or institution), often including an
explanation of their causes." This definition only applies to events that are significant
to an organization and are sequentially organized to tell a coherent story of the past.

Additionally, according to Herodotus, Father of History, history is derived

from the Greek word “historia”/”Istorið” which means “learning by inquiry.” No
writer before Herodotus had conducted such a systematic, in-depth study of the past
or attempted to explain the cause and effect of its events. After his time, Historical
analysis has become an essential component of intellectual and political life.

Moreover, history is the study of a man’s past and his/her decisions. It gives
examples of mistakes he/she has made and successes that he/she achieved. It is the
study of man’s record throughout time, conducted by examining many more
circumstances than could be re-created within a single lifetime.

Furthermore, according to Aristotle, it is a systematic accounting of a set of

natural phenomena whether or not chronological factoring was a factor in the account.

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In addition to this, history is study of the practices, beliefs, desires, institutions
therefore it is a culture of human beings.

To sum it up, history is not a boring subject and it does not just know and
memorizing facts and information but we go beyond that.

WHY STUDY HISTORY?

● An examination of the past which can tell us a great deal about how we came to
be and who we are. It means looking at the roots of modern institutions, different
ideas, various values, and big problems.
● Looking at the past teaches us to see the world through different
eyes/perspectives- appreciating the diversity of human perceptions, beliefs, and
cultures. Having varied perspectives will enable us to analyze critically the present
contexts of society and beings.
● Understanding how humans interact is an important aspect of understanding life
as a whole.
● Cultural Awareness
● Interpreting Information
● To form citizens of localities, countries, and the world.
● To pass on the consensus view historians regarding what happened in our world

In accordance to the abovementioned about why do people needs to study the

importance of history. Here are some additional information’s about why people
need to understand and discuss the importance of history.
According to Peter N. Stearns 1998 published an article with the American
Historical Association that enumerated the reasons why we should study history.
Here are some of his justifications for why the subject is worth our attention:

1. History helps us understand people and societies. In the first place, history offers
a storehouse of information about how people and societies behave. Understanding
the operations of people and societies is difficult, though a number of disciplines
make an attempt. Exclusive reliance on current data would needlessly handicap our
efforts. How can we evaluate war if the nation is at peace - unless we use historical
materials? How can we understand genius, the influence of technological innovation,
or the role that beliefs play in shaping family life if we do not use what we know
about experiences in the past? Some social scientists attempt to formulate laws or
theories about human behavior. Even these resources, however, rely on historical
data, except in rare, often artificial cases where experiments can be designed to
determine how people behave. Major aspects of a society's operation, such as mass
elections and missionary activities, cannot be tested precisely. As a result, history
must serve as our laboratory, however imperfectly, and data from the past must serve
as our most important evidence in the unavoidable quest to understand why our
complex species behaves as it does in societal settings. This is fundamentally why we
cannot avoid history: it provides the only extensive evidential base for contemplation
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and analysis of how societies function and people require some understanding of how
societies function simply to live their own lives.

2. History helps us understand change and how the society we live in came to be.
The second reason history is unavoidable as a serious study is closely related to the
first. The past influences the present, and thus the future. When we try to figure out
why something happened, we must look for factors that existed previously.
Sometimes recent history is sufficient to explain a major development, but more often
than not, we must look further back to identify the causes of change. Only by studying
history can we understand how things change; only by studying history can we begin
to understand the factors that cause change; and only by studying history can we
understand what elements of an institution or a society persist despite change.

3. History contributes to moral understanding. History also provides a platform for

moral reflection. Studying the stories of individuals and situations from the past
allows a student of history to put his or her own moral sense to the test, to hone it
against some of the real complexities that people have faced in difficult situations.
People who have overcome adversity in real-life, historical circumstances can serve as
inspiration. One phrase that comes to mind is "history taught by example." describes
the use of a study of the past - a study not only of Certifiable heroes, the great men
and women of history who successfully worked through moral quandaries, but also of
more ordinary people who provide lessons in courage, diligence, or constructive
protest.

4. History provides identity. History also contributes to identity, which is

unquestionably one of the reasons that all modern nations encourage its study in some
form. Historical data include evidence about how families, groups, institutions, and
entire countries were formed and evolved while remaining cohesive. Studying the
history of one's own family is the most obvious use of history for many [Filipinos], as
it provides facts about genealogy and (on a slightly more complex level) a foundation
for understanding how the family has interacted with larger historical change. The
identity of the family is established and confirmed. Histories that tell the national
story, emphasizing distinctive features of the national experience, are meant to drive
home an understanding of national values and a commitment to national loyalty.

5. Studying History is Essential for Good Citizenship. Knowledge of history is

required for good citizenship. This is the most common reason for including history in
school curricula. Sometimes advocates of citizenship history hope to simply promote
national identity and loyalty through a history flavored with citizenship. Vivid tales
and lessons in personal success and morality but the significance of history for
citizenship extend beyond this narrow goal, and at times even challenge it.

Moreover, Stern has identified a number of skills that a student may develop in
studying history. These include the following:

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1. The ability to assess the evidence. The study of history provides
experience in dealing with and evaluating various types of evidence—the types of
evidence historians use to create the most accurate picture of the past possible.
Learning how to combine various types of evidence - public statements, private
records, numerical data, and visual materials - improves one's ability to construct
coherent arguments based on a variety of data. This ability can be applied to
information encountered in everyday life as well.

2. The ability to assess conflicting interpretations. Learning history entails

developing some ability to sort through various, often contradictory interpretations.
Understanding how societies work, which is the central goal of historical study, is
inherently imprecise, as is understanding what is going on today. Learning to identify
and evaluate competing interpretations is an important citizenship skill that history, as
an often-contested laboratory of human experience, teaches. This is one area where
the full benefits of historical study occasionally clash with narrower uses of the past to
construct identity. Examining past situations provides a constructively critical sense
that can be applied to partisan claims about the splendors of national or group
identity. History study does not undermine loyalty or commitment in any way, but it
does teach the importance of evaluating arguments and provides opportunities to
engage in debate and gain perspective.

3. Experience in assessing past examples of change. Analysis of change

entails developing some capacity for determining the magnitude and significance of
change because some changes are more fundamental than others. Comparing specific
changes to relevant examples from the past assists history students in developing this
capacity. Studying history also provides the ability to identify the continuities that
always accompany even the most dramatic changes, as well as the ability to determine
probable causes of change. Learning history can help one determine whether a change
is caused by a single major factor, such as a technological innovation or a deliberate
new policy, or whether, as is more commonly the case, several factors combine to
produce the actual change that occurs.

Two Theories of Investigating in History

● Factual History – presents readers the plain and basic information vis-à-vis
the events that took place (what), the time and date with which the events
happened (when), the place with which the events took place, and the people
that were involved (who).

● Speculative History- it goes beyond facts because it is concerned about the

reasons for which events happened (why), and the way they happened (how).

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The reasons and skills that one can gain from studying history are beneficial not
only to students in learners but to everyone who wants to be equipped with the
right knowledge and reasons for every action and decision to become good and
responsible citizens.

Application
1. Write a short essay on the significance of studying history concerning your
course and give specific example/s. Use a sheet of yellow paper.

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“A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.”

Robert Heinlein, American author (1907-1988)

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