What is History
History (from Greek ἱστορία - historia, meaning "enquiry,
knowledge acquired by investigation is an umbrella term that
relates to past events as well as the discovery, collection,
organization, and presentation of information about these events.
The term includes cosmic, geologic, and organic history, but is
often generically implied to mean human history. Scholars who
write about history are called historians.
History can also refer to the academic discipline which uses
a narrative to examine and analyse a sequence of past events, and
objectively determine the patterns of cause and effect that
determine them.
Historians sometimes debate the nature of history and its
usefulness by discussing the study of the discipline as an end in
itself and as a way of providing "perspective" on the problems of
the present. Stories common to a particular culture, but not
supported by external sources (such as the tales surrounding King
Arthur) are usually classified as cultural heritage or legends,
because they do not support the "disinterested investigation"
required of the discipline of history. Events occurring prior to
written record are considered prehistory.
No comments:
Post a Comment