Readings in the

Philippine History
Meaning of History
Lesson 1

2
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will have completed the following
objectives:
◈ Understand the meaning of history as an academic discipline
◈ Analyze the underlying philosophy and methodology of
historical discipline
◈ Assess critically the different historical evidences and sources
◈ Appreciate the importance of history in the social and national
life of the Philippines
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◈ American inventor Henry
Ford famously said that
history is “more or less
bunk.”
◈ Others have characterized
history differently: as the
essence of innumerable
biographies, as a picture of
human crimes and misfortunes,
as nothing but an agreed upon
fable, as something that is
bound to repeat itself.

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“
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Meaning of History
◈ The short version is that the term history has
evolved from an ancient Greek verb that
means “to know,” says the Oxford English
Dictionary’s Philip Durkin.

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Meaning of History
◈ The Greek word historia originally meant
inquiry, the act of seeking knowledge, as
well as the knowledge that results from
inquiry. And from there it’s a short jump to
the accounts of events that a person might
put together from making inquiries — what
we might call stories. 8
 Story
and
History
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Meaning of History
◈ As the linguistic divide has evolved since the Middle
Ages, we have come to expect more from history — that it
be free from the flaws of viewpoint and selective memory
that stories so often contain.
◈ Yet it isn’t, humans being the imperfect and hierarchical
creatures that they are and history being something that is
made rather than handed down from some omniscient
scribe.
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History as an Academic Discipline

◈ branch of knowledge that

deals with the interpretation
of the past, especially by
experts in history.
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History as an Academic Discipline
◈ These are people who research, study, and then expound
upon their findings of the past.
◈ More broadly speaking, history can be thought of as the
study of the past by everyone from professors and
researchers to amateur scholars to the public at large. You
can become, if you methodically study the past, a historian
as well.

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History as an Academic Discipline
◈ As an academic discipline, history and thus historical studies have one
key element to them. There is, no matter the research, a level of
interpretation to the study of past events. This means that the study of a
single past event can take on different meanings when construed by
historians coming at the event from various angles and possible biases.
◈ Such historians can study everything from people to events to time
periods to civilizations and much more. They can even study specific
subsections of the past, like the economics of a civilization, the
relationship between two people, or the political landscape in a time
period. There is no limit to what can be studied and researched.
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Philosophy of History
◈ The concept of history plays a fundamental role in human thought. It
invokes notions of human agency, change, the role of material
circumstances in human affairs, and the putative meaning of historical
events. It raises the possibility of “learning from history.” And it
suggests the possibility of better understanding ourselves in the present,
by understanding the forces, choices, and circumstances that brought us
to our current situation.
◈ It is therefore unsurprising that philosophers have sometimes turned
their attention to efforts to examine history itself and the nature of
historical knowledge. These reflections can be grouped together into a
body of work called “philosophy of history.” 16
Methodology of History
◈ History is more complex than many people realize.
It is so much more than memorizing names, dates,
and places.

◈ History is very much 'scientific.’

It involves critical thinking. It involves
formulating hypotheses based on evidence and
testing them. 17
Historical methodology

◈ is the process by which historians gather

evidence and formulate ideas about the
past
◈ It is the framework through which an
account of the past is constructed.
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Historical Evidence

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Historical Evidence
◈ Primary sources consist of original
◈ Secondary Sources are
documents, artifacts, or other pieces of
information that were created at the time those sources which were
under study. So, if we are studying World
War II, primary sources would include produced by an author who
everything from letters written by soldiers to
girlfriends and wives back home to
used primary sources to
government documents to photographs to produce the material.
physical uniforms and equipment.
◈ Primary sources can be wide-ranging. ◈ Secondary Sources are
Battlefield film footage is a primary source
because it was filmed right then and there, at
historical sources, which
that moment in history. studied a certain historical
◈ Primary sources are usually more valued than subject.
secondary sources 20
Archival Documents

Primary Sources
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 Letters

Primary Sources
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 Census

Primary Sources
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popular books and
articles
Secondary Sources
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 Textbook

Secondary Sources
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Government records

Primary Sources
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reference books

Secondary Sources
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Importance of
Studying History

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 Why study history?

The answer is because we virtually

must, to gain access to the
laboratory of human experience.

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Importance of Studying History

1. History Helps Us
Understand People and
Societies

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Importance of Studying History

2. History Helps Us
Understand Change and How
the Society We Live in Came
to Be
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Importance of Studying History

3. History Contributes to
Moral Understanding

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Importance of Studying History

4. History Provides Identity

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Importance of Studying History

5. Studying History Is
Essential for Good Citizenship

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Importance of Studying History

6. History Is Useful in the World of

Work

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What Skills Does a
Student of History
Develop?

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What Skills Does a Student of History Develop?

1. The Ability to Assess

Evidence.

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What Skills Does a Student of History Develop?

2. The Ability to Assess Conflicting

Interpretations.

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What Skills Does a Student of History Develop?

3. Experience in Assessing Past

Examples of Change.

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