2007-11-11 12:44:45 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
There is no "Goal of History". Having a 'goal' implies that there is one History, one finite definition of what occurred, when it occurred, and for what purpose it occurred. History is much more complex, and there can be no one History. Rather there are many 'histoires', each telling its own story and forming a part of a larger 'history'. Each person brings there own biases to the creation of works on history and the interpretation of those works. This means that every historian can reinterpret the evidence, putting more or less significance on certain "Facts" and drawing different conclusions.
The PURPOSE of history is to gain an understanding of our past to better understand the present. If you do a web search for weird laws you'll find a host of websites that list arcane and absurd laws. If you examine the history of those 'weird laws' most of the time you'll find a specific reason for why chickens aren't allowed to wear hats. With that understanding it is easier to understand the motivations of the world around us.
A secondary purpose of history is to give the community a shared understanding. One of the things that makes Americans "Americans", French "French", or Japanese "Japanese" is the shared history that create bonds between otherwise widely divergent populations. That common bond will allow a community to survive turbulent times and stand strong in the face of adversity.
One reason that we make students study history in high schools is that it is one of the first subject areas where students can undertake research. HS history develops reading comprehension and logical deductions. Done properly, history can teach people how to think (not what) and draw conclusions.
2007-11-11 13:13:50 · answer #1 · answered by gentleroger 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I did not know there was a goal; the PURPOSE of studying history is to know who we are, where we come from. Without it would be like a person having amnesia.
2007-11-11 20:55:39 · answer #2 · answered by Nothingusefullearnedinschool 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The purpose of history was so we learn about our past. It is said that history repeats itself, so if we know our past, we just might know our future.
2007-11-15 20:29:25 · answer #3 · answered by Sophie M. 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋