The Case for History
I thought I’d open this post with a quote. There are some good quotes about history.
Accordingly, I googled history quotes . . .
A quarter of an hour later, I returned to consciousness, realized I had WAY exceeded my time limit, and had other items on my to-do list clamouring for attention.
This is the danger of being a history buff.
The quotes were great! I’ve included some of them below. But they were also way too distracting. Because, as you probably guessed long ago, history is my passion! Pulling out three reasons why you should study it looks absolutely superfluous. Still, in case you don’t love it quite as much as I do (or in case you do, and want some moral support for your crazy enthusiasm!) here are my top three arguments in the case for history:
1) History Gives Perspective
There’s nothing easier than being self-centred—or maybe we can take a more academic word and say self-centric. We naturally tend to see our own viewpoint as the centre of the world. After all—no matter which direction we turn, it’s still in the middle of our landscape!
“A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.” – Robert Heinlein (1907-1988)
Or, as a more recent author has put it, “If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.” – Maya Angelou (1951-2014)
History lets us zoom out and see the bigger picture. It lets us zoom in on other times and places, bringing clarity and context to the one in which we live. In brief, history gives us perspective on both the present and the future by opening our understanding to the past.
2) History Teaches from Experience
This one is probably the most widely-familiar history quote of all time:
“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana (1863-1852)
If there’s one benefit that comes from living six thousand years into earth’s history, it’s the benefit of a generous sample size. We, as humanity, have more experience than ever before. We’ve lived more decades, had more adventures, tried more experiments, risen to more success, crashed to more failure than we had ten years ago—one hundred years ago—one thousand years ago.
But the only way to utilize this vast field of data is by exploring it. If we don’t remember the past, we can’t learn from the past—we are doomed to repeat it. That means repeating some good, but it also means repeating some totally-unnecessary evil, that God would willingly have spared us from.
3) History Showcases God
This is the ultimate reason for Christians and non-Christians alike to study history. History is a powerful lens through which we see God.
“I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.” – Psalm 78:2-4
Large sections of the Bible are exactly this. History. The history of mankind, yes. But even more, the history of God.
And this panorama of God’s dealings with man doesn’t end with the final chapter of Revelation. It goes on, through the history of the early church—through the history of the middle ages—the renaissance and reformation—the modern and post-modern eras. History is about people—and God. And as such, it is one of the most amazing subjects you will ever study.
Runner-Up Argument: History is a Storybook
There’s a final quote I’ve got to share, because it captures one of my very favourite aspects of history.
“Perhaps the cause of our contemporary pessimism is our tendency to view history as a turbulent stream of conflicts—between individuals in economic life, between groups in politics, between creeds in religion, between states in war. This is the more dramatic side of history; it captures the eye of the historian and the interest of the reader . . . History has been too often a picture of the bloody stream. The history of civilization is a record of what happened on the banks.” – Will Durant (1885-1981)
I enjoy studying the turbulent stream. I really do. But even more than that, I love reading the story of the people on the banks. I love seeing the details of their personalities and their environments. I love just watching them live. The best history is a storybook come alive.
That’s the reason I fell in love with historical fiction as a child—and the reason I’m still in love with it, today.
My Verdict on the Case for History
Ah, yes . . . this was a critical analysis, not a fan club . . . awkward . . .
Let us try to rein in our enthusiasm and present our verdict.
History may be worth your consideration as a school subject.
Understatement?
Well, never mind. I dare say you get the point. History has incredible potential to expand, enrich, and point your student to God. In my opinion, it definitely deserves a place in your school curriculum.
But what if your student hates it? Take a look at our previous post:
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