New Post from BiteofanApple

The Long View Of History

History as a subject is often viewed by students and the public at large as a domain without a use, a pedantic study of dates and names with some vague mission to remember the past—a memorial to ages past but neither a forward-looking or useful endeavor. The study of history produces teachers of history and nothing more. And while the study of history does not produce new widgets or novel computer advances, and nor does it deepen our understanding of materials science or physics.

The humanities, in which history and studies of language and culture are a part, are not there to improve our understanding of nature or develop technology, they exist to improve the minds (both cultural and individual) of the people we are.

History doesn't improve our world, it improves us. It gives us context for the world we live in and it helps us understand the reason why things are as they are and learn from the people before us.

History as Context

Imagine waking up every day with no memory of the day before, no idea who owned the house you slept in, no idea what country you're in, and no idea why everyone around you speaks the languages they do.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress

Living in such a world would be disorienting, confusing, non-sensical. Yet this is the world without history. The world without history just is. It isn't a work in progress, but a finished piece—one that lives and dies with you—and has no meaning beyond the present moment.

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