“The historian’s task is to understand the past; the human scientist, by contrast, is looking to change the future.” To what extent is this true in these areas of knowledge?
Colegio Franklin Delano Roosevelt
November 13 2013
May 2014 Exam Session
Word Count: 1600
Humans have come to accept that History by mere definition is the exploration and study of history whereas the Human Sciences are defined as the in depth study of social, biological and cultural aspects of human beings. As humans we have used and accepted this two Areas of Knowledge, to interpret and understand the world around us. History and Human Sciences seek to influence humans through language, reason, and emotion. An assumption is made here that
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Since our knowledge is primarily based on intuitions and assumptions as to what a person’s behavior is going to be5, it can then be inferred by historians what will happen in the future.
Although historians seek for evidence to substantiate their facts, there are times were no physical evidence is found therefore they discard their evidence as merely a myth or relate it to other accounts who share a similar believe. Nonetheless historians, who fail to seek into the past to substantiate their viewpoint, don’t necessarily neglect the idea of using the evidence found to better the future. When a historian is successful at achieving his goal and writes a successful review on a historical event it is then when he reasons as to whether the information can be applied to the future to make an improvement or if it should be discarded as another piece of evidence of our history’s past.
On similar concept, Human Sciences also study the past to try and change the future. Anthropology as a branch of this AOK cultural anthropology6 studies the cultural and social variation among the different communities and races in the world. Back in the past there was a misconception as to what cultural anthropology studied.
Not all is known and the facts passed down may not reveal the whole truth. History is biased and can easily be manipulated by those with more power, and it is a modern historian’s job to weed through the commonly accepted information, and try to find the truth. If the truth is not found, then they present alternative theories to broaden the world’s knowledge on the possible course of events in the
As the hostility grows between both parties, historians must consider the factual disposition of their writings. Empiricist J.B. Bury stated that history is a “science, nothing more, nothing less”. The accurate connotations that science brings highlights the academics arguments. Although not completely a science, history integrates different forms of science, such as geology, in order to reach the objective truth (Evans). It is the assertion of history as a science to which academics believe their history is presented. To which, academic’s believe their rival’s representation of history is inaccurate, and therefore invalid. Academic historians insistence to their own superiority may contend to their tension between
Historians, as we normally perceive bear the responsibility as scholars who record and research about past events and compiled them together in order to benefit the future generations as an authoritative channel for them to understand and study the past of human kind. Nevertheless, these missions were hardly the main
To Howard Zinn, history is no more than a looking glass for historians to see what needs to change in the modern world. Zinn explains how historians should see the past and the future in his 1966 essay “Historian as Citizen”. He begins by stating that historians cling too tightly to the patterns of the past and are wrong in using them as a guide to the future. He says, “This necessariness of the past tends to infect our thinking about the future, weighing down our disposition to act” (Zinn 44). Already, Zinn makes a broad statement that counters the aged ways of historians everywhere. He is asking them to let go of history. This is offputting to some but it is his strong voice that makes his philosophy so grand.
This paper deals with ways history can be interpreted and influences different interpretations have on society and individuals. This is explored through
Through the study of past evidence, historians become capable of creating educated interpretations of the past based on such evidence and previous knowledge. Difficulty in interpretation does not come from insufficient evidence, with an abundance of preserved historical works from writers, Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus for example, but the unreliable nature of literary tradition (Cornell, 1986) resulting in differentiated opinions of the usefulness of ancient evidence particularly with the incompatible stories of Roman foundation. The usefulness of stories from Romans can become increasingly valuable though there are some historians of the opinion the
Anthropologist are known to play devil's advocate, to accumulate knowledge on a global scale and to ultimately make the familiar strange and the strange familiar. Their whole purpose is to study the language, traditions and customs of societies so knowledge on how humanity has developed over time may be advanced. Cultural anthropologists use a wide range of techniques in order to reach an insightful understanding of human behavior in a specific culture. Cultural Anthropologists play a vital role in spreading what knowledge is accumulated from other regions of the world.
history is handled, and the role of science. There are many important differences between the
“History is the study of any past or present happening or events for which there is physical, written or oral evidence available to substantiate the happenings or events. Some students of history have difficulty with their motivation for the subject because they cannot identify with the personal value of history” (A Guide to Critical Thinking in the Social Studies 1). Clearly, there are many approaches to the study of an era or theme, but those most frequently relied upon in all levels of education are those which seek to present facts, documented from a wide number of sources, primary and secondary, as objectively as possible, a practice which detaches students from their studies and seemingly takes the “story” out of history. Relying upon
History is a troublesome word in the English language, having a number of meanings and usages. We often use the term without really considering the underlying concepts it represents. We use history to stand for actual events that took place in the past. The view of history as a collection of events, a flow of actions and reactions is as old has human curiosity about things happened before their own time. The human mind has always seemed to seek consistency in things, perhaps more than is really to be found. . History has made us and society who we are, and the past will always affect the present and not so much our future like so many of us perceive it does. Psychology is still a very
Humanities and the social sciences are two very important components for growth as both individuals and as a society. They are especially essential to the evolution of humans and the progression of knowledge. It is because of the documentation of previous human experiences that future generations gain a personalized understanding of how history really happened. That personalized understanding also allows us to attain new levels of insight on politics, poetry and everything in between. Having insight on the past provides us with clarity, which is how we are able to learn and grow from historical occurrences, and move on to a better and more advanced future. This is how our knowledge progresses. Sadly, humanities and social sciences
This is not a new issue, as faulty perceptions and interpretations were at the forefront of the warnings of which Descartes described hundreds of years ago. In order to compensate for inconsistencies in perception and interpretations, Thelin feels modern researchers and historians need to doubt documented history and unearth data that may have been forgotten or overlooked. Thelin believes that history does indeed matter, and stresses that even basic facts such as names, dates, and numbers need to be corroborated and not just taken at face
Politically we are confronted with a host of issues ranging from matters pertaining to local taxation, planning, and zoning to regional (if not global) terrorism and other manifestations of conflict. The study of geography allows us to participate and enjoy our planet. Geography gives us a sense of reference to where we live and where we may be going in relationship to where we have been. Its appreciation of the world we live in. Anthropology is the study of human kind and culture, everybody wants to know where and how humans came to be. Some examples we can apply anthropology in our daily lives would be in relating to our families, friends, co-workers, in understanding work dynamics, in understanding and communicating with teens,, and in proposing new ideas, and plans. Its unique contribution to studying the bonds of human social relations been the distinctive concept of culture.
Humans are an interesting species because of the strong need humans have to fully understand what it truly means to be human. Many fields such as history, psychology, and sociology all offer a perspective in the study of humanity, but there are distinguishable from anthropology. Anthropology differs from other humanities fields due to its holistic nature, comparative research methods, and the strong emphasis on fieldwork and participant interaction. Anthropology is the study of people throughout the world, their evolutionary history, how they behave, adapt to different environments, communicate and socialize with one another. In order for anthropologists to examine the full scope of human life, they employ the four field approach that embodies the holistic nature of the field.
Anthropology is the social sciences discipline that looks to understand humanity. In this discipline there are subdivisions such as cultural anthropology and primatology, and the beauty of anthropology is that you can more than you think, link some of your life event to some anthropological context.