THE RELEVANCE OF HISTORY TO OUR LIVES TODAY

Greeks saw the importance of history. The Greeks were

generally recognised as the "first historians" who dealt with the
events of the past through historical inquiry and investigation
In fact there are signs that we are losing contact with traditions
and customs, once so cherished and practised by our forefathers.
Take for example the Chinese New Year festival. When I was young
Chinese New Year was real fun and ceremonious too. Today, it is
common to see families packing up and heading for Club Med.
History lessons in school, therefore, allow our pupils to
appreciate various aspects of our heritage. History can inculcate in
them a reverence for our past and thereby developing a sense of
belonging to the nation. The many community research projects, for
example, those of Nee Soon and Whampoa, are good indications that history and
heritage are inseparable.

Learning history also helps to develop in our pupils good social

and moral values which are so vital in a multi-racial society like
Singapore. Understanding the contributions of historical personalities
and significant historical events will help to inculcate values such as
loyalty, perseverance, propriety, people's welfare, religious toleration
and racial harmony. Our young will also learn to appreciate the nature
of other societies, their cultures and politics. History makes them
recognise the fact that the way people see and judge things is
conditioned by the society within which they live.

"How can history teach anything to a society that

is engrossed with technological and scientific transformations and
poised to enter the 21st century?"

Herodotus, popularly regarded as the "Father of

History", had a serious purpose in view. He published his researches
" . . . in the hope of thereby preserving from decay the
remembrance of what men have done, and of preventing
the great and wonderful actions of the Greeks and the
Barbarians (the Persians) from losing their due meed of
glory; and withal to put on record what were their grounds of feud.”

Herodotus did not write history for its own sake. Instead, he
addressed the historical importance of decisions, events and
developments to the Greeks of his own day.

The writings of another famous Greek historian, Thucydides,

whose book "History of the Peloponnesian War" is still a masterpiece
among histories, also reflected the relevancy of history to the ancient
world - and to the present time. He commented:
"It will perhaps be found that the absence of story-telling
in my work makes it less attractive to listen to, but I shall
be satisfied if it is considered useful by all who wish to
know the plain truth of the events which happened and
will, according to human nature, happen again in the same
way. It was written not for the moment but for all time."
In Imperial Rome, politicians and historians, such as Julius
Caesar, Sallust and Tacitus, had to look to the past for reassurance
and justification. All believed that the understanding of the past was
a task for the politicians to master. The Roman historian Polybius
succintly stated that "knowledge of the past is the readiest means
men can have of correcting their conduct" and that "the study of
history is the truest sense an education, and a training for political
life."

Therefore, a glimpse of the historiography of ancient Greece

and Rome reminds us that even in ancient times historians sought in
past events practical illustrations of the hand of providence, practical
examples of human qualities that seemed to them excellent and
worth propagating - above all, relevant to current needs.
Over 2000 years have gone by. The rapid transformation of the
world since antiquity should not hide the basic reality that all we do,
all that we think, indeed all that we are, is the cumulative result of past
experiences. As one writer puts it, the future is an abstraction, the
present is but a fleeting moment; all else is history. The past and
judgement of the past are inevitable and inescapable. Every moment
of our lives we make statements or act according to perception of
past events.

Another compelling reason for studying history is that a

society's identity is the product of the many individuals, forces, and
events that constitute that society's past. History is society's
collective memory.

In the words of the American philosopher and

novelist George Santayana "A country without a memory is a country
of madmen." Individually and collectively, what we are is the product
of what we have been. Our sense of personal and social identity is
a direct outgrowth of our history, and to study that history is to
discover a "means of access to ourselves." Many of us would still
remember the immense success of Alex Haley's family history,
"Roots". It reflects the deep human need to know where one comes
from and where one fits into the grand scheme of human revolution.
In the same vein, our Lower Secondary history syllabus has the
objective of developing in our young a sense of Singapore identity
and of instilling pride in Singapore's past and their ancestors'
achievements.

Closely related to the notion that history is a road to selfknowledge

is the belief that to comprehend the present, one must
study the past. History is vital for understanding the issues and
problems that presently confront the world. Of course, this is not to
say that history can have the answer or solution to present day
problems. To some extent, all historical events are unique because
history never exactly "repeats itself". Even the study of close
historical parallels will not provide specific solutions to current
problems. But to attempt to handle contemporary problems without
seeking to know the relevant historical background is highly
undesirable and, perhaps, dangerous.
For example, a more thorough knowledge of the history of
Southeast Asia might have helped American policy-makers avoid the
worst agonies of Vietnam. The U.S. intervention in Vietnam was
designed to "contain" Communism within the boundaries of China
and to prevent the enactment of the so-called domino theory. The
triumph of Communism in Vietnam, so the reasoning went, would also
represent a victory for Chinese imperialism. A study of East Asian
history, however, would have revealed that the Vietnamese had for
centuries resisted Chinese encroachments, and that a Communist
Vietnam would probably not be a puppet of the Chinese. We can see
today that Vietnam is not a close friend of China. Therefore, a lack of
historical understanding was one of the factors that lay behind the
American policy in Vietnam. Examples could be multiplied endlessly,
but all of them would simply underscore the sentiments of Oscar
Wilde: "He to whom the present is the only thing that is present knows
nothing of the age in which he lives."

Perhaps at this juncture, it is wise for us to remember that

though knowledge of the past is essential for understanding the
present nothing is easier to abuse than the historical analogy or
historical parallel. Time and again politicians, journalists, and the man
on the street often declare that "history proves" this or "history shows"
that. They will assert that history somehow supports their position on
some contemporary issue. Unfortunately, "history" in the abstract,
"proves" or "shows" nothing in the absolute sense. Parallels between
past and present circumstances are never exact. In fact, history
makes one of the most useful contributions when it exposes the
inapplicability of many inaccurate or misleading analogies .
History also provides us the opportunity to study the forces that
are responsible for the rise and decline of powers.

Why is that
throughout history some nations gain power while others lose it?
This question is not only of historical interest, but also significant for
understanding today's world as we approach the 21st century. We
become aware that just as the great empires of the past flourished
and fell, will today's - and tomorrow's - powers rise and fall as well?
In his well documented book, "The Rise and Fall of Great Powers,"
Yale historian Paul Kennedy stresses the crucial relationship of
economic and military forces that affect the rise and fall of empires.
His wide-ranging analysis of global politics over the past five
centuries shows that nations project their military power according to
their economic resources and in defence of their broad economic
interests. But the point to note here is that the cost of projecting that
military power is more than even the largest economies can afford
indefinitely. This is especially so when new technologies and new
centres of production shift economic power away from the
established powers. We can see the powerful implications of such an
historical understanding on present-day superpowers and the Asian
giants, China and Japan. For example, the United States now run the
risk of an "imperial overstretch", that is, her global interests and
obligations are far larger than the country's powers to defend them
all simultaneously.
The case of pre-war Japan is another excellent illustration. In
her quest to establish the "Greater East Asia CO-Prosperity Sphere"
she built up her military resources and fought the Pacific War. Today,
though under severe pressures of the United States government to
increase its defence expenditure, the Tokyo government still keep
increases in spending on her self-defence forces to a modest level.
Moral, ideological, economic forces and the possible repercussions
on Russia, China and Southeast Asia of a Japanese military build-up
have encouraged Japan to work towards the enhancement of peace
and security in Southeast Asia.
Finally, the relevance of history is not confined to a specific set
of preoccupations. In a much broader sense, the study of the past
enables us to share the thoughts and passions of fellow human
beings and to develop a tolerance and appreciation of cultures,
customs, and Ideas other than our own. Sadly, perhaps because
human nature seems to remain unchanged for centuries, we still have
civil and international wars. Conflicts in Northern Ireland, South
Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, India, Sri Lanka and
Kampuchea all serve to remind us that man is, either consciously or
unconsciously, oblivious of the lessons in history. Leaders of the
world are guilty of making disparaging remarks which, ironically,
bring to light the relevancy of history to our lives today. Recently, a
top Japanese politician publicly maintained that the Japanese were
not the aggressors in the Second World War. But we know from
history that blatant atrocities were committed by the Japanese in
China, Korea and Southeast Asia. In July this year, another senior
Japanese pol~tician passed sarcastic remarks about the black
people in the United States. In fact, two years ago, the then Prime
Minister of Japan caused a furore when he said that the average level
of knowledge in the United States was lower than that of the
Japanese because of its black, Puerto Rican and Mexican residents.
The relevancy of these unpleasant comments can be traced to
the war years. It is embodied in the racism exercised by the
Japanese and the Americans in the Pacific War. Japan then asserted
herself as the "leading world-historical race". This sense of racial
superiority was manifested in Japan's assigning "proper place" for
other nations. The Americans, on the other hand, considered the
Japanese as simians and used such terms as "toilet training" and
"rectal fixation" to explain Japanese primitiveness and childlike
aggressiveness. Japan lost the war but today she is gaining the
upper hand in the war of another nature -the economic war of Japan
versus the West. One question remains. Will we see the revival of the
form of militant nationalism of the 1930s which propelled Japan to
fight a fanatical and suicidal war and which was extolled by the late
novelist Yukio Mishima? Will Japan re-assert the concept of the
"leading world historical-race"?
In conclusion, we are fully aware that the burdens and legacies
of the past and the long-term continuities are still with us. But we
cannot live without history because without historical perspective we
are in danger of falling into the prideful, naive notion that the
problems we face and the solutions we propose are unprecedented
and bear no relationship to human problems of the past. I would like
to end by quoting to you the prophetic words of Niccolo Machiavelli:
"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the
past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding
times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by
men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by
the same passions, and thus necessarily have the same
results."
Machiavelli believed that man is essentially egoistic and selfcentred.
His ideas on the nature of the relationship between political
power and the role of the military in state affairs are still very relevant
to contemporary societies.

HISTORY RELEVANCE

-History Relevance promotes a shared language and other tools and strategies to
mobilize history organizations in the United States around the relevance and value
of history. We support history organizations that encourage the public to use
historical thinking skills to actively engage with and address contemporary issues
and to value history for its relevance to modern life.

History can have more impact when it connects the people, events, places, stories,
and ideas of the past with the people, events, places, stories, and ideas that are
important and meaningful to communities, people, and audiences today.

THE VALUE OF HISTORY STATEMENT

TO OURSELVES

IDENTITY » History nurtures personal and collective identity in a diverse world.

People discover their place in time through stories of their families, communities,
and nation. These stories of freedom and equality, injustice and struggle, loss and
achievement, and courage and triumph shape people’s personal values that guide
them through life.

CRITICAL THINKING » History teaches vital skills. Historical thinking requires

critical approaches to evidence and argument and develops contextual
understanding and historical perspective, encouraging meaningful engagement with
concepts like continuity, change, and causation, and the ability to interpret and
communicate complex ideas clearly and coherently.

TO OUR COMMUNITIES

VIBRANT COMMUNITIES » History is the foundation for strong, vibrant

communities. A place becomes a community when wrapped in human memory as
told through family stories, tribal traditions, and civic commemorations as well as
discussions about our roles and responsibilities to each other and the places we call
home.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT » History is a catalyst for economic growth.

Communities with cultural heritage institutions and a strong sense of historical
character attract talent, increase tourism revenues, enhance business development,
and fortify local economies.

TO OUR FUTURE

ENGAGED CITIZENS » History helps people envision a better future. Democracy

thrives when individuals convene to express opinions, listen to others, and take
action. Weaving history into discussions about contemporary issues clarifies
differing perspectives and misperceptions, reveals complexities, grounds competing
views in evidence, and introduces new ideas; all can lead to greater understanding
and viable community solutions.

LEADERSHIP » History inspires leaders. History provides today’s leaders with role
models as they navigate through the complexities of modern life. The stories of
persons from the past can offer direction to contemporary leaders and help clarify
their values and ideals.

LEGACY » History, saved and preserved, is the foundation for future generations.
Historical knowledge is crucial to protecting democracy. By preserving authentic and
meaningful documents, artifacts, images, stories, and places, future generations
have a foundation on which to build and know what it means to be a member of the
civic community.
THE MEANING AND ROLE OF HISTORY IN HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT

1. Introduction
As the twentieth century has drawn to a close and we move into an expanding new era,
the complex meanings, intrinsic qualities, purposes, and value of history require serious
attention. For the diverse and rich social foundations of life, whether language, material
culture, national identity, or the organization of work and politics, are the palpable
inheritance of a resilient human past, and if humanity is to plot a realizable future, we
need to understand through history how it has achieved its present. The usefulness of
history, therefore, is not only that it constantly offers new ways of viewing and
understanding the grip of the past: it is also a means of generating the confidence
about, and absorption of, critical knowledge, to produce a changing consciousness. In
bringing the potential of human action to the center of investigation, the dynamics of
historical understanding can contribute actively to the shaping of our future, always
emphasizing that it can be one of possibilities and alternatives. History, then, is a form
of inquiry which is never prescriptive or rigidly predictive about the impact of systems or
of events.

2. The Meaning of History

In its very earliest known uses in human society, history was simply a narrative account
of past events. As a word, it entered the English language from the French formulation
of histoire, the Latin notion of historia, and the Greek construction of istoria, each
of which represented the basic sense of a knowledge of the past. In these early
concepts, the sense of history encompassed both an imaginative story of events and a
narrative or chronicle of past events. In its early English usage, history and story were
generally applied equally to any account of the past, whether of imaginary events or of
incidents which were held to be true. Such use of history for imagined or invented
events is, of course, a practice which has persisted, at diminishing levels, up to the
present. It continues to be embedded especially in imaginative literature, such as the
novel. This can take the form of an attempt at fictional realism, as in J. G. Farrell’s
1970s story, The Singapore Grip, which recreates the Japanese invasion of
Singapore in 1941, blending established historical facts with an invented story. Or, it can
be the deliberate novelistic fabrication of a “counterfactual” history, as in Robert
Harris’s 1980s story, Fatherland, which is based on the premise of Nazi Germany
having won the Second World War.

From roughly the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries onwards, the meaning of history
moved more emphatically towards an account of past real events, and the notion of
story drifted towards a set of uses which included less documented accounts of past
events, and accounts of purely imagined events or fantasy. History now began to take
on the distinctive character or sense of an organized knowledge of the past. The notion
of some organization of knowledge of the past was a general extension of the earlier
sense of a specific written or oral account.
Through the development of this sense of history emerged the distinctly modern
meanings and role of historian, historical, and historic.

Writers on historiography and culture confirm that in contemporary English, this has
become the predominant and lasting general sense of history. At the same time, it is
important to note the growth of a further significant conception of history which goes
beyond the basic meaning of an organized knowledge of past life. It is difficult to date or
to define its intellectual source exactly, but it is the sense of history as something
continuous, as human or self-development. This particular stage of thinking is
increasingly evident in European thought from around the eighteenth century, and saw
early expression in the emergence of new forms of universal histories or world histories,
based on the imperial sense of a “discovery” or physical charting of the world. Adopting
the argument of the cultural critic, Raymond Williams, the clearest way of projecting
this newer post-eighteenth century sense of history is to say that past events are viewed
not as specific or bounded histories, but as a continuous and connected process.

For historians, various modern systemizations and interpretations of this continuous and
connected process then become history in a new general and increasingly abstract
sense. Moreover, in view of the prevailing new stress on the workings of history as
human self-development, history in many of its wider uses sheds its exclusive
association with knowledge of the past, and becomes directly connected not only to the
present, but also to the future. Thus, in a language such as German, the terminology of
Geschichte for history carries the verbal connotation of a process which means an
amalgam of past, present, and future.

In turn, history encoded in this contemporary sense has drawn on several evolving
Versions of more recent intellectual systems. One has been the European
Enlightenment awareness of the progress and development of civilization. Another has
been rooted in an idealist sense, as reflected by the Philosopher Hegel, of an
ineluctable process of world-historical movement over time. A third sense of process,
especially important since the nineteenth century, has been sharply political. Here,
through a strong association with, first, the French Revolution, and subsequently with
Marxism and variants of socialist thought, history has been construed as a range of
mass historical forces. In this systemic sense of history, its forces are products of the
past which are not only active and influential in the present, but which will live on as
imperatives, destined to shape the future in knowable or patterned ways. Naturally,
there has always been scholarly dispute between such varying understandings of
history as a structured process. Furthermore, there has always been controversy
between advocates of history as a systemic movement, and others who have continued
to view history as an account, or a series of accounts, of actual but quite random past
events. In this looser conception, the sweep of history carries no clearly discernible
design or implication of the shape of the future.

An influential twentieth century derivation from history is “historicism,” or the

identification of study of the past as being historicist. One of its functional usages has
been both basic and neutral, as a description of a method of scholarly study which is
based upon the assembling of facts of the past, and the tracing of visible precedents to
explain current events. A second sense of historicism has been more ideological in
intent and controversial in record. Here, it has been used abrasively, to discredit the
deeper meaning of history as a continuing sequence of productive human stages, a
process with ineluctable implications for the future. At this level, it has been used in
critiques not only of Marxism, but also of Idealist and Enlightenment definitions of
history as an upward process.

Some scholars have also suggested that it is not always easy to distinguish attacks on
history as historicism, which essentially rejects the notion of history embodying a
necessary or probable future, from associated attacks on the notion of any predictive
future (in the sense of an improved or more developed life), which uses the idea of a
lesson or of lessons of history in arguing against an uncritical hope or faith in human
progress. This second, cautionary perspective on history as a forward or optimistic
process has been a particularly striking feature of the twentieth century in particular. In
contrast with the buoyant sense of positive achievement or promise of earlier versions
of historical movement, history since the earlier twentieth century has commonly been
used to indicate a generally negative pattern of frustration, breakdown, or defeat, or of
some explosion or implosion of the gains of civilization.

Lastly, we know that behind human ignorance of the present and uncertainty of the
future, the historical forces which have shaped the world are continuing to operate.
Equally, at present, it is probably no longer as easy as it once was to confirm which
sense or meaning of history is dominant. “Historian” remains a fairly exact
description, as in its earlier understanding. “Historical” relates generally to a
recorded sense of the past. “Historic” is largely used to imply the dimension of a
large or deep process or destiny. “History,” on the other hand, retains something
of the variety of meanings and range of uses it has acquired across human time.

At the same time, today it can be said that, in an almost universal sense, history has
come to mean an organized knowledge and interpretation of the past, a defining feature
which it shares with archaeology. In this respect, while it has a different and more
scientific character as a scholarly discipline, archaeology may also be recognizable as a
variant of history. As a distinctive and well-established scholarly discipline, history has
developed its own range of methods and discourses. Its field of study continues to be
potentially limitless, in that it encompasses the totality of past human experience. That
field is also one of critical debate between varying approaches to history. There are
major differences and even controversies between some who regard it as an account of
an actual past, and others who view it in postmodern terms, as entirely imagined or
subjective constructions of the past, a projection of the identity and location of the
historian as author.

On the other hand, the matter and manner of history is something which can be readily
validated. History shares with literature, art, history of art, and other laboratories of the
spirit and the mind, a probing preoccupation with exploring the many hopes, wonders,
fears, and darker contradictions of the human condition. Historical understanding turns
on the movement of time and space, on the living tissue which provides us with a sense
of the workings of cumulative forces, teaches us about the workings of cause and effect,
and, most simply, enlightens us about the past. That provision of knowledge is of a
particularly special kind, because it shows not only that history has brought humankind
to a particular point, but how and why. While the sense of what history is may continue
to differ among scholars, it is a primary analytical lens which can teach or show us most
kinds of the knowable human past, and virtually every kind of imaginable—if not
predictable—human future.

3. History and its Focus

The fundamentally investigative approach to historical understanding can be
summarized as a set of guiding propositions. In general, these reflect the following
broad concerns:
• A fostering of vibrant and healthy critical debate between differing perspectives,
interpretations, and representations of aspects of the past.
• A critical evaluation of sources and evidence of the past, whether written
documentation or oral records.
• A representation of the past through clear narrative, explanation, and analysis.
• A careful and systematic study of key societal processes such as relations of political
power, or economic interest, or cultural life over time, with a central emphasis on the
levers of change and continuity, and on how and why change occurs in human
societies.
• A recognition of the study of the past as a continuing process with a momentum which
has implications for the future, requiring exploration of, and debate over, how a defined
historical past may relate to the present and the future.
• A focus upon reaction, adaptation, and transformation as the core engine of the
historical process.
• A recognition that change can be studied historically without assigning to it any finality
or transcending of nature: history is a rooted force which cannot be superseded or
relegated to some prior existence.
Title: THE RELEVANCE OF HISTORY TO OUR LIVES TODAY
Author(s) Goh, Chor Boon
Source Teaching and Learning, 10(1),75-82
Published by Institute of Education (Singapore)

References
Portal, C. (ed.) (1987) The History Curriculum for Teachers. Philadelphia: The
Falmer Press.
Smith, G.C. and Lloyd, H.A. (1972) The Relevance of History. London:
Heinemann Educational Books.
Butterfield, H. (1981) The Origins of History. London: Eyre Methuen.
Kennedy, P. (1987) The Rise and Fall of Great Powers. New York: Random
House.
Dower, J.W. (1986) War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War.
New York: Pantheon Books.

HISTORY RELEVANCE
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MEANING AND ROLE OF HISTORY IN

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Author(s) Bill Nasson

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

German philosopher

Description
Description
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a German philosopher considered one of the most important
figures in German idealism. Wikipedia

Born: 27 August 1770, Stuttgart, Germany

Died: 14 November 1831, Berlin, Germany

Influenced: Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, MORE

Influenced by: René Descartes, MORE

Education: Tübinger Stift (1788–1793), MORE

Quotes
We learn from history that we do not learn from history.
Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.
Whatever is reasonable is true, and whatever is true is reasonable.
Raymond Williams
Welsh writer
Description
Raymond Henry Williams was a Welsh socialist writer, academic, novelist and critic influential within
the New Left and in wider culture. His writings on politics, culture, the media and literature
contributed to the Marxist critique of culture and the arts. Wikipedia

Born: 31 August 1921, Llanvihangel Crucorney, United Kingdom

Died: 26 January 1988, Saffron Walden, United Kingdom

Spouse: Joy Williams (m. ?–1988)

Notable students: Terry Eagleton

Education: Trinity College (1939–1941), King Henry VIII School

Children: Ederyn Williams

Quotes
“To be truly radical is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing”
“There are in fact no masses, but only ways of seeing people as masses