The Purpose Of History

Among all of the academic disciplines, history stands as one of the most controversial. This is due to the inherently interpretive nature of the field, one that has long resulted in heated debates for many historians. As one would expect that the study of events long passed to be more firmly rooted in unchallengeable fact rather than disputable opinion, this presents a bit of quandary. To many, there appears to be little merit in making an effort to understand events that have been debated ad nauseam since they occurred. I would argue, however, that while assessing the past properly and accurately not only requires significant effort on the part of the historian, but may also be completely impossible from the outset, this task is still an essential
There is no reason to be concerned however; while historical accuracy is not possible to attain, this matter does not entirely defeat the purpose of studying history. “Accuracy” entails a certain degree of perfection, and perfection is something that is unreasonable to expect. The actions of human beings, not even simple themselves on a fundamental level, only cascade into each other like so many dominoes as time goes on. After a point, it not only becomes impossible to tell which domino fell first, but where any domino was positioned in the first place. Furthermore, the information concerning events long passed will itself become a part of the past if it is neglected for a sufficient amount of time. Therefore, regardless of how much we wish to do so, accurately maintaining a view of history that is sufficiently accurate and complete is an unfortunately insurmountable
While there are some immediate benefits that can be drawn out of these pursuits, there must surely be an overall purpose that unites them; and in fact, there is. Ultimately, history should be studied or taught for the sake of knowing it, and not with any other purpose in mind. While, as I have mentioned, practical benefits may often be a result of these, but doing it in order to obtain the benefits offered will only result in a warped reading of history. Those who color their mind with only thoughts of seeking what will be most useful to them will find the knowledge they obtain will be equally shallow. Their mind will could out information that runs contrary to what they seek, and overstate facts they believe work in their favor. Only by studying history with the intent of exploring it for its own sake can one obtain the most pure and unbiased view of what has previously occurred. Such historical knowledge will be useful in a variety of matters, and will present is beholder with a broader view of matters that it is applied