What is History?
The word "history" is Greek. It means inquiry or research or
investigation. Early on, it meant just that—any sort of inquiry. But then in
the early 400s BC, Herodotus wrote “The Histories,” where he writes about the
causes of the Persian Wars. In the very first sentence he says, “These are the
researches of Herodotus of Halicarnassus….”
He made the word plural – researches. He suggested that history isn't just one inquiry, it's a collection of inquiries, a series of questions with multiple answers.
For Herodotus history is inquiry into the past. I like this definition because the emphasis is on a verb rather than on a noun. History is an activity, not a thing.
He made the word plural – researches. He suggested that history isn't just one inquiry, it's a collection of inquiries, a series of questions with multiple answers.
For Herodotus history is inquiry into the past. I like this definition because the emphasis is on a verb rather than on a noun. History is an activity, not a thing.
Created by Abigail Valenzuela
Michael McGuigan (Mr. Mike) teaches 7th and 8th grade Social Studies at the Learning Community. Mike has an MAT from Brown University and an MA in Philosophical Theology from Andover Newton. He wrote his thesis on Nietzsche's Philosophy of History. In addition to his graduate work, Mike has studied at Texas Christian University, Harvard University, UMass - Amherst, and Boston College. In 2009, Mike co-wrote with Dr. Jeff Fifield, The Beauty of the Experience: AI Principles in Action, published in the AI Practitioner. Prior to joining the Learning Community team, Mike served for ten years as a teacher in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala. During his time overseas he taught high school British Literature, high school World History, Middle school Humanities, and an International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge class.