This document discusses why history matters and why we study history. It provides several reasons: 1) History does not provide direct lessons but allows us to draw insights from the past to inform our future actions. 2) History gives us a sense of identity by showing the past of our communities and cultures. 3) Examining history can reveal fundamental truths about human nature and condition.

1. History
A Brief Introduction

2. What is History?
• History refers to the
past itself, and to
what historians write
about the past.
• Historiography can
mean either the
process of writing
history, or the study of
that process.

3. Why does history matter?
• History does not present us with lesson to
be learnt. If people do learn from history,
why do they still fight in war.
• However, the past presents us with an
opportunity to draw lessons for
consideration.
• Thinking about what human beings do in
the past – the bad and the good –
provides us with examples through which
we might contemplate our future actions,
just as does the study of novels and films.

5. Why does history matter?
• History provides us with an identity, just as
memory does for an individual.
• For example, the history of Singapore
provides an identity for its people.
• However, it is important that we do not
become imprisoned by the past. To be
guilty of it, we will be losing our humanity.

7. Why does history matter?
• History can show us
some deep,
fundamental insights
into human condition;
that sifting through
the past we may
discover some
intrinsic thread to our
lives.

8. Why do history?
• For enjoyment.
• There is pleasure for studying the past just
like studying music or art.
• E.g. Looking at old documents, gazing at
old paintings, and seeing something of a
world that is not entirely our own.
• Meeting different personalities. E.g.
Alexander the Great, Jesus Christ, Adolf
Hitler, Gandhi, the Spartans, etc.

10. Why do history?
• Using history as something with which to
think.
• Studying history necessarily involves
taking oneself out of one’s present context
and exploring an alternative world.
• This cannot help but make us more aware
of our own lives and contexts.
• To study history is to study ourselves.

11. Why do history?
• History allows us to think differently about
oneself, to gather something of how we
‘come about’ as individual human beings,
is also to be made aware of the possibility
of doing things differently.
• Therefore, history is an argument, and
arguments present the opportunity for
change.
• History provides us with the tools to
dissent.