Chapter I.

Meaning and Relevance of History

The Meaning.
1.The word ’history’ is derived from the Greek
noun ’historia’ meaning ’inquiry or research. 

2.Aristotle regarded it as a "systematic account of

a set of natural phenomena, whether or not
chronological ordering was a factor in the
account." The term "history" has now come to be
applied to accounts of events that are narrated in a
chronological order, and deal with the past of
mankind.
Learning by inquiry about the past of mankind was
later developed into a discipline by the Greek
historians Thucydides and Heredeotus (who is
popularly known as ’Father of History’). 
3.E. H. Carn defined history as an "unending
dialogue between the present and the past." 

Jawaharlal Nehru observed that man’s growth

from barbarism to civilization is supposed to be the
theme of history."
4.Will Durant called history "a narrative of what
civilized men have thought or done in the past
time."

5. History can also refer to the academic

discipline which uses a narrative to examine and
analyse a sequence of past events, and objectively
determine the patterns of cause and effect that
determine them.
The Relevance.
1.It helps one to draw conclusions from the past
events. It may be said that history is to the human
race, what memory is to each man.

2.It sheds the light of the past upon the present,

thus helping one to understand oneself, by making
one acquainted with other peoples.
3.The lessons of the past help one to avoid the
pitfalls of the present.

4. It makes one’s life richer by giving meaning to

the books one reads, the cities one visits or the
music one hears.
5.It also broadens one’s outlook by presenting to
one an admixture of races, a mingling of cultures
and a spectacular drama of the making of the
modern world out of diverse forces.

6.It enables one to grasp one’s relationship with

one’s past. For example if one wonders why the
U.S. flag has 48 stars or why Great Britain follows
monarchy, one has to turn to history for an answer.
7.It preserves the traditional and cultural values of
a nation, and serves as a beacon light, guiding
society in confronting various crises.

8.It is a bridge connecting the past with the present

and pointing the road to the future.(Allen Nerins)
Other Importance of Studying History According to
Peter N. Stearns,1998
1. History Helps Us Understand People and
Societies

2. History Contributes to Moral Understanding

3. History Provides Identity

4. Studying History Is Essential for Good

Citizenship