Historical Research

A. DEFINITION AND AREAS OF HISTORY

B. People perceive history as:

* Memorization of EVENTS, DATES & PERSONS

* Anything OLD and ANTIQUE

* A TOPIC which is BORING AND LIFELESS

* Something to be grateful for i.e., FILIPINO VALUE of appreciating the past for paving the way for the present and future

Meaning of HISTORY:

Search for KNOWLEDGE and TRUTH

* PAST EXPERIENCE to help to know what to do in the PRESENT & FUTURE

* Describing PAST EVENTS/FACTS in a spirit of inquiring critically for the WHOLE TRUTH

* BROAD FIELD including:

* CULTURE

* INSTITUTIONS

* LAW

* IDEAS

* RELIGION

* ART

* LITERATURE

* TRAVEL

* ENGINEERING

* TECHNOLOGY

* INDUSTRY

* MEDICINE

* SCIENCE

* PHILOSOPHY

* PSYCHOLOGY

* SOCIOLOGY

* ECONOMICS

* ANTHROPOLOGY

* EDUCATION

THEREFORE: HISTORY IS LOOKING AT HISTORICAL DATA FROM THEIR HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE.

C. VIEW ON THE VALUE OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH

Usefulness of historical research:

* HISTORICAL INVESTIGATIONS – make us understand and appreciate our human nature & uniqueness

* HISTORY – offer us a helpful overview of published researches & previous experiences about a problem we are interested in

* HISTORY – useful in dealing with problems in the present

* PAST EVENS – can never really approximate the problems and conditions in the present & future times

D. HISTORICAL RESEARCH AS A MODERN UNDERTAKING

Changes in the aim and scope of historical investigation from the past to the present:

* ANCIENT TIMES – Historical writing is intended to ENTERTAIN AND INSPIRE readers & was achieved through writing/compiling

Ex. FOLK TALES & EPICS

* THUCYDIDES (GREEK SCHOLAR) – History is aiming for TRUTH. He used his own observations or reports of eyewitnesses which he checked for reliability. While others in his time, instead of bringing out objective truth, they were more...