What are the four reasons to study History?

Answer 1

1. Recognize mistakes.

What this means is that through the knowledge of what different people have done in the past we can make better decisions about the future. For example, after WWI Germany was left in complete disaster. Because of that along with other factors it ultimately led to WWII. With that knowledge most countries that have lost wars since then are given a reconstruction period to help rebuild and stabilize the country.

2. Human Curiosity

We humans have always been curious about what happened before. Sometimes our curiosity is answered and sometimes it remains a mystery. For example, there are many theories about how the pyramids were built, but there remains no hard evidence to support any. In order to answer questions such as these an understanding of history plays an important role.

3. Preservation

Humans have a tendency to want to be remembered for something after they are gone. Otherwise what is the point to life. Our parents instill in us many things. Some of which we pass on to our children, or even utilize in our day to day lives. When we get to the point were we know are time here on earth is short we will look back and wonder if anyone will remember me when I am gone, and for what. This example is on a small scale. Now think about all the important events in human history. If we forget them or simply choose to ignore them, we are essentially forgetting who we are and where we came from.

4. Interesting

Many people argue that history is boring. I believe that this is far from the truth. Everyone finds some part of history interesting, just not all of history. Maybe you can care less who won at the battle of Troy but find it interesting to know that Columbus was not the first to discover America, the Titanic's maiden voyage would also be its last, or that Henry Ford did not invent the automobile. When you study history pay attention to what interests you the most, you might find it surprising. After all that is the point of history, to remember. Humans tend to remember what the find interesting and forget what they do not care about.