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2006-10-30 19:44:49 · 39 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities History

39 answers

History is the basis on which civilization evolves. Society itself is constantly changing in a manner similar to Hegel's thesis, antithesis and synthesis. History, the thesis, is combined with the modern day antithesis and produces the future, synthesis. Without knowledge of the past, humans would be forced to constantly relearn scientific discoveries and warfare tactics in a continuing recycle. Knowing of one's history allows them to understand where they are now, how they got there and where they can go in the future. History is the most relevant material for an individual (and a society) to analyze because it allows them to benefit from previous experiences and advance.

2006-10-30 22:54:47 · answer #1 · answered by Fraj 3 · 2 1

Does History Matter

2016-12-10 16:15:54 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Not only does history teach us the past so that we may learn from it, but it also provides a context for interpreting those new things that do come around. In many ways, it provides the same benefit as life experience: as we get older, we get wiser. As we know more history, we get wiser.

Further, it also provides a mode of thinking and perceiving the world that better allows us to critically analyze arguments. Anyone with a bit of history, for example, would be better suited to see through the political smoke screen of election years.

In the end, if you don't care about history then you better never talk to anyone socially again. If you have ever related an event that happened to you in the past to someone else, then you just conducted history.

2006-10-31 01:56:08 · answer #3 · answered by Thought 6 · 1 0

Its an antidote to arrogance. When a country claims moral superiority and technical supremacy at present their leaders can, if they choose to, look back in history and see the debris of previous imperial powers. The world changes and it is by studying the actual examples of change that we make it real for the present.

It is also important (perhaps the most important thing) to understand that the modern world didn't just spring from nowhere. Everything we take for granted now came from somebody doing something somewhere. Present political and social problems and successes arise from the decisions and actions of the past. Trying to learn the connection between the two gives some chance of learning the consequences of actions - and more important still the lesson that actions have consequences.

We also learn history because if we don't learn history based on fairly objective evidence we are subject to accepting the lies and superstitions that people with corrupt motivation would like us to believe. There is no absolutely objective history, but there are interpretations which are grounded in objective records and there are also accounts of the past which are simply fanciful fabrications. The governments of countries frequently don't like to admit to dishonourable actions especially of the recent past e.g. Turkey and the Armenian genocide, Japan's actions in Manchuria. We learn history so that we can face up to our own past and that of others.

2006-10-30 20:13:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

The supposed difference between humans and animals is that we (humans) are supposed to be able to learn from experience and to pass that 'learning' on to our future generations.
That this is facile is shown by the juxtapositioning of TV news from Iraq and Afganistan on the same channels as the (BBC) program 'A Very British War' which relates to the Franco/British invasion of Egypt in the 1950s. That was a truly idiotic adventure and we now have Tony Blair following the same path - only, this time the pathfinder is George Bush. We had no right to attempt to force regime change on Egypt any more than on Iraq or Afganistan to-day. IF our leaders had indeed learned from history, they would NOT have followed this path but would have learned the lesson without the deaths of hundreds of troops and thousands of civilians to prove they had not learned.

2006-10-30 20:34:50 · answer #5 · answered by Daibad 1 · 0 0

History provides a sense of connectivity. Humans tend to find comfort in knowing where they come from; as it tends to help them better understand themselves and the world around them.

History also teaches us; there is a saying, "there is nothing new under the sun". The Earth goes through cycles of heating up and cooling down; species evolve, are wiped out, and new ones take their place. Events unfold throughout time and parallels can be drawn between past events and those of the present. We can learn from this.

History also gives us a sense of the "big scheme of things". It is so easy to get caught up in self-importance, but if you think about the millions of years that life has existed and then look at your contribution to that--you get a sense of how insignificant mankind truly is; which gives you respect for this Earth and a bit of humility.

History allows you to interact with the World. You look at everything differently when you can see the line that runs through it all connecting past to present.

2006-10-31 00:23:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

If nations ever learned from their mistake, history would matter. But as history shows, nations and people never learn from their mistakes. That's why the world is just as dangerous today as it was a thousand years ago. So to answer your question, no history doesn't matter unless it is being used as a propanganda tool to unit the masses.

2006-10-31 00:07:57 · answer #7 · answered by mac 7 · 0 0

History is very important as indicated below. Those who don't know it will stumble through life making the same mistakes as the people who went before them.

The thing to remember about history is that it is subjective. Or as I had a teacher point out to me "The side that wins writes the history books".

2006-10-31 00:52:41 · answer #8 · answered by Joseph H 2 · 0 0

History matters because knowing our origins is an important way of finding out meaning. also we have done some really bad **** in the past that we need to learn not to repeat.

2006-10-30 19:47:22 · answer #9 · answered by evilive 4 · 2 1

Becasue we are doomed to repeat the things that we do not learn from. History tells us what happened and why. However, it cannot force us to modify our behave so that things like the Holocaust never happen again. As thinking beings, we can chose to learn for the past, though.

2006-10-31 01:04:34 · answer #10 · answered by lani 2 · 0 0

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