Importance of History
CHAPTER I
Introduction
History is the science whose business is to study events not accessible to our observations, and to study these events inferentially (Philippine Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences 1993). History is not merely the records of past events: it is the record of what one’s age find worthy of note in another.
History as a narrative (which of written, visual, oral or a combination of all these) about past events that has a meaning to a certain group of people in a given time and place (Ambeth Ocampo). History is the study of human achievement. The past is intelligent to us only in the light of the present and the present can be fully understood in the light of the past (Carr 1972). The word History is taken from the Greek word historian, which means learning by investigation or inquiry. History traces the progress and development of man’s civilization from the ancient to the modern, largely based on written records. The Greeks were the first to view history with an acquiring mind. Herodotus “the Father of History” introduced a colorful and descriptive way of writing events. History can also be defined as the continuous intersection between the historians and his facts and unending dialogue between the past and the present. History is not just a narrative but it must also have a meaning on it. If one finds meaning in history it will gain power in changing people’s life (Ambeth Ocampo 2001). Thucydides, set the model of writing history, he analyzed and verified the facts. Being an Historian is not that easy. A historian is like a detective, a historian must have a remarkable ability to find clues from the data gathering, in the quest of truth. Historian must seek out people who will help him obtain specific information. Historians deal with the scarcity of data and facts. In history there are a lot of branches and people who will help a historian to do their work, like an archeologist he will give you clues on the remains of ancient
Introduction
History is the science whose business is to study events not accessible to our observations, and to study these events inferentially (Philippine Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences 1993). History is not merely the records of past events: it is the record of what one’s age find worthy of note in another.
History as a narrative (which of written, visual, oral or a combination of all these) about past events that has a meaning to a certain group of people in a given time and place (Ambeth Ocampo). History is the study of human achievement. The past is intelligent to us only in the light of the present and the present can be fully understood in the light of the past (Carr 1972). The word History is taken from the Greek word historian, which means learning by investigation or inquiry. History traces the progress and development of man’s civilization from the ancient to the modern, largely based on written records. The Greeks were the first to view history with an acquiring mind. Herodotus “the Father of History” introduced a colorful and descriptive way of writing events. History can also be defined as the continuous intersection between the historians and his facts and unending dialogue between the past and the present. History is not just a narrative but it must also have a meaning on it. If one finds meaning in history it will gain power in changing people’s life (Ambeth Ocampo 2001). Thucydides, set the model of writing history, he analyzed and verified the facts. Being an Historian is not that easy. A historian is like a detective, a historian must have a remarkable ability to find clues from the data gathering, in the quest of truth. Historian must seek out people who will help him obtain specific information. Historians deal with the scarcity of data and facts. In history there are a lot of branches and people who will help a historian to do their work, like an archeologist he will give you clues on the remains of ancient