use and effect, of probability, and of accident. “You cannot step twice into the same river”, said the ancient Greek Philosopher Heraclitus; the present is only a fleeting instant, and everything we are conscious of has already the passed and has thereby become a part of history. Kierkegaard had it right when he said that we should “live life forwards, and understand it backwards”. Every human being is the product of their individual and collective past, and studying history helps maintain that continuity and to transmit entire cultures across the ages (Veysey, 1969). Thus, history is the memory of group experience. If it is forgotten or ignored, we cease in that measure to be human. Without history we have no knowledge of who we are or how we came to be, like victims of collective amnesia groping in the dark for our identity. It follows that a person must know some history even to begin to understand the world in which he or she lives, or to act with any kind of wisdom and perspective. The ultimate virtue of the historical approach is the detachment that enables the observer to rise above human conflicts and see all sides of the question, no matter which position one personally prefers. It helps us appreciate how rarely, if ever, clear-cut definitions are accurately discernible, rendering the historian more adept at identifying various shades of gray where others see only black and white. Historical study teaches the recognition of legitimate differences of viewpoint, and the difficulty of final judgements in human affairs. Historical study requires a constant exercise in the relationship of details and generalizations. It gives experience in how to collect, organize and classifying data, teaches us how to look for relevant information, use it in solving problems, and communicate the result. History can teach us how not to be bogged down with details that will be soon forgotten, but rather to use them in order t...
