Why do you believe people study history? Discuss.

International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge

T.O.K Essay On History

“Why do you believe people study history?” Discuss.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”

George Santayana. 1921.

What is the point of history? In what way is history affecting me? Why do people even bother studying history?” We live in a world, trapped in the endeavors of the present, in an almost sick anticipation of the future. Everything we do in one-way or another, is ultimately trying to make tomorrow better than today. So are there really any valid reasons to dig into the past, reminiscent of ghosts long put to rest?

Yes. I definitely think history plays a role in all our lives, and would go as far as saying that history is the only tool we possess by which we can develop any real understanding of the human race as a whole. Although we often take it for granted, everything happening around the world today is the result, or better said; the current stage of an endless process known as evolution. An evolution involving a long chain of events, decisions both ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, and the lives of all those who lived before us. Complete ignorance or irrelevancy of the past contorts our understanding of the present, which deafens us to the beautiful lull of the future’s voice.

“History is… a dialogue between the present and the past”

Edward Hallet Carr. 1961. What Is History?

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“History is… a dialogue between the present and the past”

Edward Hallet Carr. 1961. What Is History?

My point of view may seem very narrow-minded or stalwart, but if we look at the reasoning behind the argument contextually at least, it is a very solid argument. Why is history so vital for the future then? No one really knows what will happen in the future, of course we can all speculate, plan and imagine, but at the end of the day we have very little control over what happens. History however, can act as a “dialogue” with the past, in which it explores the lessons, left behind and plot them into an outline upon which we can develop both the present and the future. While the outline will not be complete, and we can doubt much we see in it, it is the only thing at our disposal. By analyzing what we have been able to uncover from the past, both the ‘right’ and the ‘wrong’, we can above all else learn and rethink what sort of future we are aiming at.

I doubt all the lessons we learn from the past will actually be useful, or even beneficial, and from those we do put into practice we don’t know how many will be successful. In a way our application of history as a tool to model both present and future, shares many similarities with the economy (as incredulous as that may sound).

“The economy is like a car in which all windows have been painted black, with the exception of the rear. Financial progress can only be measured after the car has driven on, and we look back at what we passed.”

Unknown

From a different perspective, history itself - or the act of researching the past, is both an acknowledgement of those who lived before us, as well as homage to the many things they lived through and resulted in our being here today.

In conclusion, I feel like history is not only a list of memorable dates, or important figures that mark man’s progress, but in essence the answer to the how and why we are where we are at now. Leading to my final answer; I believe people study history to ultimately learn more about themselves.

Final Word Count: 599

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