how do we really no that history existed after all none of us were there they say it is handed down from genar

Question

ation to genaration but where is the proof

Answer 1

then you shouldnt be able to read this reply and as it is history (in the real sense) because history doesnt exist as i wrote it before you read it.

if you are reading it, then history must exist?

Answer 2

My friend what do you call history? How do you define it? How long ago must it have happened before you personally consider it to be history?

Were you born to human parents or is that just something you accept as a fact? Do you have a birth certificate that says you were born on such and such a date at such and such a place? Is is fact or fiction? Do you accept it as being a historical record even though maybe you were there and maybe not because we can not be sure of history that was handed down.

In my view which may not be acceptable for you, there comes a point and place one must draw some guidelines and establish some rules to follow . If such is not done there can be no communication, evidence submitted and of course no decisions made one way or another. As one pointed out usually two or more witnesses are sufficient to call a supposed fact a fact. Of course that does not make it a fact but by the rules it can be accepted as a fact.

In simplicity history to one may be a joke to another. It all depends on ones personal views and what they are willing to accept.

Please do give this some thought and do have a great day knowing in the past I did tell you to smile OK. I think that past by definition is history but I may be wrong based on your standards. I do accept that.

Answer 3

Some people have ridiculed your question. I think its actually one of the more interesting ones to be asked on here. I like it. Its a very valid point as history will be written from the viewpoint of the Author. Its obviously too complex for a lot of people on here to understand. For example in the west we are rightly proud of all our achievements we have made but we do not really give any credit to other civilisations. Mathematics, Gunpowder and a million other things were not created by the Western world and although these have been documented those achievements are not so prevalent as each generation passes. I am not aware of how history is validated and in these days of Mass Media it is impossible to know what is believable and what is manufactured. Remember in gulf war 1 when the American government announced that Iraqi troops had thrown Kuwait babies out of incubators and stole the equipment. It was later discovered that it was a made up story. In my opinion, in the future it will be really difficult to document anything acurately..... Good question.

Answer 4

When you think how long humans have been around it is only recently that history has been recorded and even some of that is distorted, we cannot with certainty therefore know what is true and what is not for modern history ..but as regards ancient history since we have no stake in it...it is most likely more accurate as largely it has been uncovered by people interested only in truth in the main.
how far back is that well we are talking a few thousand years..before that it is hard to accept that it is history...more there is a crossover between historical fact..and archealogical finds that would suggest a history...at all times history is not truth though.

Answer 5

do you have kids? or maybe you will in the future? What will you tell your kids? All the years that you have lived will be history to your children. Say you tell your child that you met Tony Hawk and he taught you a new skateboarding trick? (don't ask me why I picked him, I'm tired) But you tell you kid that you met Tony Hawk. How will your kid know that you are telling the truth? Is he just to believe you because you say so? Did you get his autograph? or a picture? Did you write it in your diary? How do we know that Abe Lincoln really gave the Gettysberg address? None of us were there. It's written in some books, that our only proof. You have the right not to believe that Abe Lincoln gave that speech. But you'd be wrong.
The bible is a book for us to take or put aside. That's our choice. But that are a lot of historical information in it that coincides with many other historical books.

Answer 6

History books are written facts, meaning someone documented the things that happened and passed them on. In asking this question, you are assuming that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson didn't exist...then where did the declaration of independence come from? I mean we weren't there to see it, but it got here somehow didn't it? Same goes for just about everything else in life honey. Your question is a little far fetched. Think before you ask.

Answer 7

There are many clues lying in the ground that let us know that history existed, however we don't know everything about history a good example of this is what is the true colour for dinosaurs unless we find one with the skin on we will never truly know. Any way it is social history that is intergenerationally linked.

Answer 8

are you talking about history or mythology ?
for example, the story of robin hood has been passed down many generations and details of the period are researchable. there were crusades and a sheriff of nottingham, but was there ever a robin hood?

even written records are hard to take as un-biased primary evidence, since the only people who could write were scribes of nobles or religious leaders.

if your question is about the history of religious worship, then the answer is that the people who were there did write events as they percieved them at that time. most of these works were destroyed in the library of alexandria by st. cyril.

Answer 9

I was looking for some deeper meaning to your question, but cant find one?
Perhaps your question is not phrased as it should be?
There can be no doubt that history existed, your question is now history!
If your question is really asking 'Is history the same as the truth'? Then the answer is no , it is certainly not the truth. And the reason for that is simple enough to answer!

Answer 10

Hey -ever thought that the world was created - JUST FOR YOU? Wow, you must be the most important and clever guy in existence. Maybe we will all dissapear like puffs of smoke when you pass away, as only your willpower and brilliance of personality hold the laws of creation together!

I take it you are an atheist then?

Answer 11

It depends what you mean by proof.

Most historians go by evidence gathered from different sources eg. writings, items recovered, offical records ect. it's a bit like a court case really, as history as we all know is written by the winners....

Of course there's massive pieces of evidence in the form of buildings...

I'm really not sure what your after, but there's no way to 'prove' it's not a huge conspiracy if you don't believe the evidence we've got now unless you build yourself a time machine...........