Importance Of Studying History

1328 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Developing a Philosophy of Education”

“What is so important about history? Why do we study it? History does not matter, the present is the most important time.” These statements are common among people in this day in age.We view history as obsolete and in the past.There really is no reason to invest in studying something we have already been through right? Well this is not true and I plan to break this stereotype and show why knowing our history and past can help in many areas of our lives and for the the advancement of our race and human beings.
We first tackle the question of whether or not it is important to study history.There are many examples are reasons why this is true.A definition of history is a great way to start.A definition my high school History teacher would relay to us is “History is a story about the past that is significant and true.” I like this definition because we can break down the parts of it to show just how important history is.First we should talk about history being “true”.This is a tricky concept to intertwine with history because historians generally do no use the word true because accounts of history are based on historians and their accounts of it.One persons account of history can vary from another.For example, if two adults were to get into a physical altercation, the winner may have a different than the loser.The loser may add parts to the story that didn’t happen to justify his loss.The winner may do the same by making false reasons as to why he won.Historians do not purposely skew the story, but every human being has his flaws that create this issue.
The second part that I would like to discuss is history being significant.When we discuss the significance of an event in history, there are many factors that will determine how it w...

... middle of paper ...

...ll.
The importance of history in school today is questioned because of whether it serves a valuable enough purpose to have its own subject.Voltaire said, "Life is too short, time to valuable, to spend it in telling what is useless." Nietzsche said, "We want to serve history only to the extent that history serves life." History is studied to aid us for the future, not to dig up old stories and events.Knowing our history brings judgment and freedom.Our great leaders in the past have had these to characteristics, thus they have lead our nation.Without this knowledge, what is our purpose? We are destined to repeat history, if we do not learn from history itself.A quote to leave with is from Cicero.“History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity.”

Show More
Related

  • A History Of Dehumanization In Elie Wiesel's Night

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    What more is the point of learning and understanding human history than obtaining the knowledge and structure between what is right and what is wrong? We continuously believe that we as humans have the ability and intellect to learn from the lessons taught in our past in order to enrich our future. In comparison to the time frame that is human history the one hundred year period of time we discussed in the second halve of this semester is nothing but a slight blimp on the map that we have traversed. Yet, throughout our recent readings we can easily assimilate into the idea that although time may pass, and that we may attempt to learn from our history it is simply in human nature to repeat the mistakes that we have

    Read More

  • Christopher Columbus Constructed History

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    To study history, the facts and information must be passed down. To do so, historians record the information in textbooks and other nonfiction works. Whether or not the historians retell facts or construct their own version of history is debatable. History can be percieved as being “constructed” by the historians due to their bias, elimination of controversy, strive for entertainment, and neglect to update the information.

    Read More

  • The Causes Of The Enlightenment And The American Revolution

    1157 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion all these events in history drastically changed the way people view the world and what people believed in. In this essay we have talked about the causes and the similarities of the historical events that lead to the world as we know

    Read More

  • Hollywood Blacklisting and Fahrenheit 451

    590 Words  | 2 Pages

    - It is important to remind people of history because it teaches them about previous happenings. It shows that for every action there is a consecuence, therefore every action or decision you make will have an effect that will impact your life and the life of the people around you. It also gives you an insight of what happened years ago so that in the near future, we are prepared well enough to make the right decisions in order to avoid reliving similar or previous events.

    Read More

  • 1890-1910 American Imperialism

    1117 Words  | 3 Pages

    “History never says goodbye. History says see you later” (Eduardo Galeano). History teaches us valuable lessons from the past, which can be used for the present time, yet our leaders usually overlook these lessons and repeat previous mistakes. I have recently immigrated to the United States and since in my home country history classes are not a place to really discuss the history, I was amazed by the way that this history class challenged every event and fact. I have learned that history is told by bias, so we should be able to think critically and question what we are taught. History is usually written by the dominant group of the society, so if we are looking for the truth, we should study each event from different resources and different

    Read More

  • Historical Perspective in the Essays of Susan Griffin, Richard Rodriguez, and Ralph Ellison

    1560 Words  | 4 Pages

    What is history? Many believe that history is what is read in textbooks, or what is seen on the news. If Susan Griffin were asked that question, she would probably argue that history is much more than that. It is about the minds and souls of the people who went through the historical event, not simply what happened. In her essay, Griffin incorporates stories of people from totally different backgrounds, and upbringings, including herself, all to describe their account of one time period. Each person’s history is somehow connected with the next person’s, and each story contr...

    Read More

  • Importance Of History

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    “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

    Read More

  • Should History Be Taught In Schools Essay

    757 Words  | 2 Pages

    Do you remember having history on your schedule, and when you got in the class every year it never changes, just another boring class with students who just want to skip it and a teacher who really doesn’t want to be there either. History has traditionally played a role in lots of high schools around the nation because when they get to college they say the same thing. The reason this is such a big deal because graduation requests vary from state to state, but most states still require a student to take three social science credits including a US History class and a World History class in order to graduate. But, it makes it hard on students because remembering history is just not what some children do, especially since "a lot of young people

    Read More

  • The Perspective And The Purpose Of History

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    History is a story told over time. It is a way of recreating the past so it can be studied in the present and re-interpreted for future generations. Since humans are the sole beneficiaries of history, it is important for us to know what the purpose of history is and how historians include their own perspective concerning historical events. The purpose and perspective of history is vital in order for individuals to realise how it would be almost impossible for us to live out our lives effectively if we had no knowledge of the past. Also, in order to gain a sound knowledge of the past, we have to understand the political, social and cultural aspects of the times we are studying.

    Read More

  • Does History Matter?

    988 Words  | 2 Pages

    Millions of people have gone great lengths to record every part of the past. We may not know much about the future but we have more than enough information about the past. The knowledge about our past has helped us in many ways. Historians, teachers, doctors, students, lawyers and many more have relied on history books and researches on significant events in history to prove their point. The question why history matters has been asked many times. It has been asked by students, teachers and parents sometimes. Some people may see this question as ridiculously easy but I see it as one of the hardest ones yet asked. Does History matter? This question can’t be answered in one sentence. Try asking people why history is important and the answer is usually “It’s to learn from our mistakes”. It’s not right to summarize over 4 billion years of history in one sentence. This question can be easily answered in numerous ways. I would side with the numerous historians who say history holds huge significance. History is older than any object or human being we have ever come across. History has proved itself significance with the help of human beings. We, the people have used history and made it one the most significant thing in present. History holds itself significant because it has helped us understand human behaviors, change in societies, mistakes influential figures have made in past, the past events occurrence and many other reasons. The most important reason is that history protects us by preparing us for the incoming. This essay would analyze the importance of history today by using the past events for evidence.

    Read More

  • Importance of Studying History

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    1.       The importance of the study of world history to me personally as an American is very significant because I hope to find a career where I will work with many diverse people and I not only want to know them, but I want to have an understanding of where they came from in order to associate with them better. Another reason is that an American can be from any culture from around the world. Americans aren’t any certain race or religion, so we have to understand our fellow citizens just as they need to understand us.

    Read More

  • History is the Bridge that Connects the Past with the Present and Future

    608 Words  | 2 Pages

    History is the bridge that connects the past with the present. Without history, we have no future. The past gives value to our present. David C. McCullough stated, “History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are”. I agree with McCullough, history gives us a purpose. History allows us to investigate and interpret the past in order to see how we developed and where we came from. We can get an idea of what has influenced our past and present, and also what will shape our future. We can see what previous generations did and whether or not t...

    Read More

  • It is Important to have Knowledge of History

    1106 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Importance Of History Essay

    1255 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is important to study history because it teaches us about not only our own culture but about cultures all around the world. Learning about other cultures and how they look a the world and what their opinion on certain things are , helps us learn better ways of avoiding conflicts. History is just a way of getting us to understand human life and helping us embrace new ways of making a healthier lifestyle. Studying history is very important to all of our society because it answers every question. History is everywhere so why not learn about

    Read More

  • What is history

    674 Words  | 2 Pages

    When most people think about history they remember a boring class they took in school a long time ago, they recall memorizing important dates, taking map tests, and falling asleep while listening to a lecture. The truth is that history really is an important subject to be teaching students. History is more than just some lecture you receive in class, history lets us look back, see the good things and the bad things, it allows us to learn from our mistakes and prevent such mistakes from happening in the future. Things that happened in the past are still changing things that are happening today. History is needed for everyone, from government leaders down to individuals; everyone has learned one thing or another from history at some point in their life.

    Read More

More about Importance Of Studying History

Open Document