1/28/2017 WhatIsHistory?

ACollectionofDefinitions

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What Is History? - A Collection of Denitions

WhatIsHistory,Anyway?AHandfulofHistoriansExplain

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UpdatedAugust06,2016.

Historyisthestudyofthe
humanpastasitisdescribed
inthewrittendocumentsleft
byhumanbeings.Thepast,
withallitsdecisions
completed,itsparticipants
deadanditshistorytold,is
whatthegeneralpublic
Whenitisdarkenoughyoucanseethestars...MartinLuther perceivesastheimmutable
King.NewZealandTransition/GettyImages bedrockonwhichwe
historiansand
archaeologistsstand.Butaspurveyorsofthepast,werecognizethatthe
bedrockisreallyquicksand,thatbitsofthestoryareyetuntold,andthat
whathasbeentoldcomestaintedbytheconditionsofwhatwearetoday.

That'smyopinion,ofcoursehereareacollectionofothers.

HistoryDefinition

Historyisanarrationoftheeventswhichhavehappenedamongmankind,
includinganaccountoftheriseandfallofnations,aswellasofothergreat
changeswhichhaveaffectedthepoliticalandsocialconditionofthehuman
race.JohnJ.Anderson.1876.AManualofGeneralHistory.

Historyisnotwhatyouthought.Itiswhatyouremember.Allotherhistory
defeatsitself.W.
ARCHAEOLOGY
CONTINUEREADINGBELOWOURVIDEO
GuidetoWorldHistory
4TipsForImprovingTestPerformance
AncientCivilizationsWhatArchaeology...
CareersinArchaeology
AncientDailyLife
Archaeology101

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1/28/2017 WhatIsHistory?ACollectionofDefinitions

Google AdWords
Philippines
Place Your Ads on Google &
C.SellarandR.J.Yeatman.1930Preface,1066andAllThat.
Only Pay For Clicks. Sign Up
History,Stephensaid,isanightmarefromwhichIamtryingtoawake. For AdWords Today.
JamesJoyce.Ulysses.1922(1988)PublishedbyOxfordUniversityPress.
google.com.ph
P.34

Historynotusedisnothing,forallintellectuallifeisaction,likepracticallife,
andifyoudon'tusethestuffwell,itmightaswellbedead.ArnoldJ.
ToynbeeApril17,1955.NBCtelevisionbroadcast.

ThePsychoHistorian

Ifascienceofhistorywereachieved,itwould,likethescienceofcelestial
mechanics,makepossiblethecalculablepredictionofthefutureinhistory.It
wouldbringthetotalityofhistoricaloccurrenceswithinasinglefieldand
revealtheunfoldingfuturetoitslastend,includingalltheapparentchoices
madeandtobemade.Itwouldbeomniscience.Thecreatorofitwould
possesstheattributesascribedbythetheologianstoGod.Thefutureonce
revealed,humanitywouldhavenothingtodoexcepttoawaititsdoom.
CharlesAustinBeard.1933."WrittenHistoryasanActofFate."Annual
addressofthepresidentoftheAmericanHistoricalAssociation,deliveredat
Urbana,Illinois.December28,1933.AmericanHistoricalReview39(2):219
231.

Historyisandshouldbeascience.....Historyisnottheaccumulationof
eventsofeverykindwhichhappenedinthepast.Itisthescienceofhuman
societies.FusteldeCoulanges

Thefirstfoundationsofallhistoryaretherecitalsofthefatherstothe
children,transmittedafterwardfromonegenerationtoanotherattheir
origintheyareattheverymostprobable,whentheydonotshockcommon
sense,andtheyloseonedegreeofprobabilityineachgeneration.Voltaire
[16941778].ThePhilosophicalDictionary.translated1924byH.I.Woolf

Historyis...adialoguebetweenthepresentandthepast.(originally:
Geschichteist...einDialogzwischenGegenwartundVergangenheit.)
EdwardHalletCarr.1961.WhatIsHistory?NewYork:VintageBooks.

HISTORY,n.Anaccountmostlyfalse,ofeventsmostlyunimportant,which
arebroughtaboutbyrulersmostlyknaves,andsoldiersmostlyfools:Of
Romanhistory,greatNiebuhr'sshown'Tisninetenthslying.Faith,Iwish
'twereknown,EreweacceptgreatNiebuhrasaguide,Whereinhe
Search...
blunderedandhowmuchhelied.(SalderBupp)AmbroseBierce.1911.
Devil'sDictionary
WhatIsHistory?A
WillDuranton PopolVuhHistory AncientComputerA
1 Collectionof 2 AnthropologyDefined 3 4 5
APackofTricks
Definitions
GeologicalConsent oftheQuichMaya VideoReview

Historyisnothingbutapackoftricksweplayonthedead.(Frenchoriginal)
J'ayvuuntempsovousn'aimiezguresl'histoire.Cen'estaprstout
qu'unramasdetracasseriesqu'onfaitauxmorts...)Voltaire(Francois
MarieArouet).1757.LettertoPierreRobertLeCornierdeCideville.In
Voltaire'sCorrespondencevol.xxxi.editedbyTheodoreBesterman,1958.
Geneva

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1/28/2017 WhatIsHistory?ACollectionofDefinitions

History,realsolemnhistory,Icannotbeinterestedin.Ireaditalittleasa
duty,butittellsmenothingthatdoesnoteithervexorwearyme.The
quarrelsofpopesandkings,withwarsorpestilences,ineverypagethe
menallsogoodfornothing,andhardlyanywomenatallitisvery
tiresome.CatherineMorland[JaneAusten].1803.NorthangerAbbey.

Themajorlessonsofhistory?Therearefour:First,whomthegodsdestroy
theyfirstmakemadwithpower.Second,themillsofGodgrindslowly,but
theygrindexceedingsmall.Third,thebeefertilizesthefloweritrobs.
Fourth,whenitisdarkenoughyoucanseethestars.Althoughthisquote
hasbeenattributedtohistorianCharlesAustinBeard,Icouldn'tfindan
originalsource.ThisversionistheoneMartinLutherKingusedin"The
deathofevilupontheseashore"inStrengthtoLove,1981.FortressPress,
p.83

Araceofpeopleislikeanindividualmanuntilitusesitsowntalent,takes
prideinitsownhistory,expressesitsownculture,affirmsitsownselfhood,it
canneverfulfillitself.AttributedtoMalcolmX(ElHajjMalikElShabazz)

HistoryDefinitionsfortheCranky

Mosteventsrecordedinhistoryaremoreremarkablethanimportant,like
eclipsesofthesunandmoon,bywhichallareattracted,butwhoseeffects
noonetakesthetroubletocalculate.HenryDavidThoreau.1849.AWeek
ontheConcordandMerrimackRivers.

Aftersuchknowledge,whatforgiveness?Thinknow
Historyhasmanycunningpassages,contrivedcorridors
Andissues,deceiveswithwhisperingambitions,
Guidesusbyvanities.Thinknow
Shegiveswhenourattentionisdistracted
Andwhatshegives,giveswithsuchsuppleconfusions
Thatthegivingfamishesthecraving.Givestoolate
What'snotbelievedin,orifstillbelieved,
Inmemoryonly,reconsideredpassion.Givestoosoon
Intoweakhands,what'sthoughtcanbedispensedwith
Tilltherefusalpropagatesafear.Think
Neitherfearnorcouragesavesus.Unnaturalvices
Arefatheredbyourheroism.Virtues
Areforceduponusbyourimpudentcrimes.
Thesetearsareshakenfromthewrathbearingtree.
T.S.Eliot.1920Gerontion.InTheWasteLand,PrufrockandOther
Poems.

Youknow,it'ssostrange,I'velivedthroughfourformsofgovernmentinmy
life:monarchy,republic,Hitler'sReich,Americandemocracy.The[Weimar]
republicwasonly...1918to1933,that'sfifteenyears!Imaginethat,only
Search...
fifteenyears.But,then,Hitlerwasgoingtolastathousandyearsandhe
lastedonly...1933to1945...twelve,twelveyearsonly!Hah!Gusti
WhatIsHistory?A
WillDuranton
BienstockKollman(born1912,escapedAustriatotheUnitedStatesafter PopolVuhHistory AncientComputerA
1 Collectionof 2 AnthropologyDefined 3 GeologicalConsent 4 oftheQuichMaya 5 VideoReview
Definitions
Kristallnacht1938)

Soverydifficultamatteritistotraceandfindoutthetruthofanythingby
history.Plutarch.ca.46120ADfromDryden'stranslationofPlutarch's
Lives,editedandrevisedbyA.H.Clough

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1/28/2017 WhatIsHistory?ACollectionofDefinitions

TheHistoryofeverymajorGalacticCivilizationtendstopassthroughthree
distinctandrecognizablephases,thoseofSurvival,Inquiryand
Sophistication,otherwiseknownastheHow,WhyandWherephases.For
instance,thefirstphaseischaracterizedbythequestion"Howcanweeat?"
thesecondbythequestion"Whydoweeat?"andthethirdbythequestion
"Whereshallwehavelunch?DouglasAdams.1981.HitchhikersGuide
totheUniverse.HarmonyBooks.P.215

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Anthropology Dened
ACollectionofAnthropologyDefinitions

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ByK.KrisHirst
WhatIsHistory?A
WillDuranton PopolVuhHistory AncientComputerA
1 Collectionof 2 AnthropologyDefined 3 4 oftheQuichMaya 5
Definitions Thestudyofanthropologyis
GeologicalConsent VideoReview
thestudyofhumanbeings:
theirculture,theirbehavior,
theirbeliefs,theirwaysof
surviving.Hereisacollection
ofotherdefinitionsof

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1/28/2017 WhatIsHistory?ACollectionofDefinitions

anthropologyfrom
anthropologists.KrisHirst

AnthropologyDefinitions

[Anthropology]islessa
subjectmatterthanabond
betweensubjectmatters.Itis
inparthistory,partliteraturein
partnaturalscience,part
socialscienceitstrivesto
studymenbothfromwithin
AnthropologistsCollectingDatainthePhilippines.International
andwithoutitrepresentsboth
RiceResearchInstitute.
amanneroflookingatman
andavisionofmanthemostscientificofthehumanities,themosthumanist
ofsciences.EricWolf,Anthropology,1964.

Anthropologyhastraditionallyattemptedtostakeoutacompromiseposition
onthiscentralissuebyregardingitselfasboththemostscientificofthe
humanitiesandthemosthumanisticofthesciences.Thatcompromisehas
alwayslookedpeculiartothoseoutsideanthropology,buttodayitlooks
increasinglyprecarioustothosewithinthediscipline.JamesWilliamLett.

CONTINUEREADINGBELOWOURVIDEO

10BestUniversitiesInTheUnitedStates

0:00 / 3:15

1997.ScienceReasonandAnthropology:ThePrinciplesofRationalInquiry.
RowmanandLittlefield,1997.

Anthropologyisthestudyofhumankind.Ofallthedisciplinesthatexamine
aspectsofhumanexistenceandaccomplishments,onlyAnthropology
explorestheentirepanoramaofthehumanexperiencefromhumanorigins
tocontemporaryformsofcultureandsociallife.UniversityofFlorida
Search...
AnthropologyisAnsweringQuestions
WhatIsHistory?A
WillDuranton PopolVuhHistory AncientComputerA
1 Collectionof 2 AnthropologyDefined 3 GeologicalConsent 4
Anthropologistsattempttoanswerthequestion:"howcanoneexplainthe oftheQuichMaya
5 VideoReview
Definitions
diversityofhumanculturesthatarecurrentlyfoundonearthandhowhave
theyevolved?"Giventhatwewillhavetochangeratherrapidlywithinthe
nextgenerationortwothisisaverypertinentquestionforanthropologists.
MichaelScullin

Anthropologyisthestudyofhumandiversityaroundtheworld.
Anthropologistslookatcrossculturaldifferencesinsocialinstitutions,

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1/28/2017 WhatIsHistory?ACollectionofDefinitions

culturalbeliefs,andcommunicationstyles.Theyoftenseektopromote
understandingbetweengroupsby"translating"eachculturetotheother,for
instancebyspellingoutcommon,takenforgrantedassumptions.University
ofNorthTexas

Anthropologyseekstouncoverprinciplesofbehaviorthatapplytoall
humancommunities.Toananthropologist,diversityitselfseeninbody
shapesandsizes,customs,clothing,speech,religion,andworldview
providesaframeofreferenceforunderstandinganysingleaspectoflifein
anygivencommunity.AmericanAnthropologicalAssociation
Get #BangongPalmolive hair.
Anthropologyisthestudyofpeople.Inthisdiscipline,peopleareconsidered
inalltheirbiologicalandculturaldiversities,inthepresentaswellasinthe
prehistoricpast,andwhereverpeoplehaveexisted.Studentsareintroduced
totheinteractionbetweenpeopleandtheirenvironmentstodevelopan
appreciationofhumanadaptationspastandpresent.PortlandCommunity
College

Anthropologyexploreswhatitmeanstobehuman.Anthropologyisthe
scientificstudyofhumankindinalltheculturesoftheworld,bothpastand
present.WesternWashingtonUniversity

TheHumanExperienceofAnthropology

Anthropologyisthestudyofhumansinallareasandinallperiodsoftime.
TritonCollege

Anthropologyistheonlydisciplinethatcanaccessevidenceaboutthe
entirehumanexperienceonthisplanet.MichaelBrianSchiffer

Anthropologyisthestudyofhumancultureandbiologyinthepastand
present.WesternKentuckyUniversity

Anthropologyis,atonce,botheasytodefineanddifficulttodescribeits
subjectmatterisbothexotic(marriagepracticesamongAustralian
aborigines)andcommonplace(thestructureofthehumanhand)itsfocus
bothsweepingandmicroscopic.Anthropologistsmaystudythelanguageof
atribeofBrazilianNativeAmericans,thesociallifeofapesinanAfrican
rainforest,ortheremainsofalongvanishedcivilizationintheirown
backyardbutthereisalwaysacommonthreadlinkingthesevastly
differentprojects,andalwaysthecommongoalofadvancingour
understandingofwhoweareandhowwecametobethatway.Inasense,
weall"do"anthropologybecauseitisrootedinauniversalhuman
characteristiccuriosityaboutourselvesandotherpeople,livinganddead,
hereandacrosstheglobe.UniversityofLouisville

Anthropologyisdevotedtothestudyofhumanbeingsandhumansocieties
astheyexistacrosstimeandspace.Itisdistinctfromothersocialsciences
Search...
inthatitgivescentralattentiontothefulltimespanofhumanhistory,andto
thefullrangeofhumansocietiesandcultures,includingthoselocatedin
WhatIsHistory?A
WillDuranton PopolVuhHistory AncientComputerA
1 Collectionof 2 AnthropologyDefined 3 GeologicalConsent 4 oftheQuichMaya
historicallymarginalizedpartsoftheworld.Itisthereforeespeciallyattuned 5 VideoReview
Definitions
toquestionsofsocial,cultural,andbiologicaldiversity,toissuesofpower,
identity,andinequality,andtotheunderstandingofdynamicprocessesof
social,historical,ecological,andbiologicalchangeovertime.Stanford
UniversityAnthropologydepartmentwebsite(nowmoved)

MoreDefinitions

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WhatIsHistory?A
WillDuranton PopolVuhHistory AncientComputerA
1 Collectionof 2 AnthropologyDefined 3 GeologicalConsent
4 oftheQuichMaya
5 VideoReview
Definitions

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