Curious Mammal

"A society without memory, recollection, and self-knowledge would be set adrift." - Arthur Marwick I often had this question posed to me many times while teaching... "I don't care about History why should I care?" In all my pleadings that it is important to know where you came from, that one can learn more about the world around them, and that one can live many lives through books and histories, I never thought of the societal answer, or the social function of History. I should have included the aspect that we are a complex race of beings and in that complexity we want to learn just exactly what we are, what we are doing, and how do we manifest those thoughts and emotions in our world. Because without it, we are just like the society postulated above: without memory, recollection and self-knowledge. What a scary thing that is.

The theory that is involved in science and history is not the type where they are set in stone, but rather that which are open to refutation, verifica tion, and modification. All hypotheses are subject to revision in light of this thinking. The question whether History can be considered akin to science as a legitimate pursuit of knowledge must be addressed in order to truly understand the discipline of history, its methods, flaws, and complexities. This five part blog will focus on the issues surrounding this discussion. 1. History deals with the unique, Science deals with the general History has changed over time. The way we learn history today and the aspects we focus on differ from those long ago. In its inception history was a form of record-keeping, an annalistic tool used to chronicle one war after another; during the 19th century history was preoccupied with Kings and Kingdoms and the rule of leaders. During these periods history would fit the prescription above, dealing w...

"If History is worth studying at all, such study should be firmly integrated with teaching in the nature, methods, and purposes of History, regarded not simply as a set of background assumptions, but as something fundamental to any intelligent discussion of History at any level." - Arthur Marwick I think there is this assumption that anyone can DO History. That since it is feasible for someone to simply read a couple of books about a subject they can say that they know what it means to teach and practice the discipline. Especially in our classrooms, the student must first learn the methods, practices, and complexities involved in approaching History, just as one does before starting any serious chemistry or physics class. This approach must be infused into teaching the subject matter, else we run the risk of provoking the question: Who Cares?!? Students should learn the basic principals of History along with any specific subject matter. Historiography should not be re...