is history a thing of the past?

Answer 1

no, history is a thing of the present. history is merely interpretations of the past made in the present day based on bits of information abotu the past. no one can really tell what happened in the past because it is always subjective and seen from the perspective of whoever is telling it and the context they live in.

Answer 2

Just the opposite - history is much more a window into the future, since the study of history tells us how and often why we are where we are today. And in understanding the movement of history and how various forces worked in the past, we can better understand the forces today that are in the process of creating tomorrow.

For instance - to properly understand the underlying argument for the "Green" debate about preserving environmental resources, you need to know the history of indigenous peoples in the Americas before the Eropeans arrived. Because America (North and South) was not a rich empty land - there were more Indians than Europeans, and the local people had an active program of managing the land and keeping numbers of animals low.

When the Europeans arrived, they killed (mostly through disease rather than violence) something like 80% of the total population. So the land and the animals went through an explosion - and the second wave of europeans found huge herds of buffalo, great flocks of passenger pigeons and they assumed it had always been thus.

It had NEVER been thus until the Indians were mostly killed.

So the environmentalists who want us to leave nature alone don't understand the history - and so don't understand the reality they're trying to deal with.

Ah no, history is very much of the future.

Answer 3

Although history largely concentrates on the past, we use these past actions and analyze them to understand the present and sometimes even the future. Remember, todays present is tomorrows past. Also remember that interpretations of history are constantly changing as new things are discovered and new ideas formulate about how or why something has occurred.

Answer 4

Cute. Yes, history is a thing of the past, but the re-writing of history is alive and well in the Demon-cratic Party...

Answer 5

That's why it's called history.

Answer 6

Ha! ha! One thing is certain, we don't seem to be able to learn from past experience - Otherwise the Amis and their hangers-on wouldn't be in Afghanistan.

Answer 7

Not as much as it should. Far too many thigns in this world are cosntantly put in jeopardy becasue of senseless vengeance.

Answer 8

Right now is a thing of the past ...and now...and now ...and now .
Space Balls the movie has all the answers.

Answer 9

As much as now is the present.

Answer 10

Not always, because history can repeat itself.