WHY STUDY HISTORY? (Adapted from NC State University) "Because the world didn't begin this morning with your breakfast" is not as flippant an answer as it might seem. As Thomas Jefferson wrote in Query XIV in his 1782 Notes on the State of Virginia, "“History, by apprising (informing) [us] of the past, will enable [us] to judge the future; it will avail (make useful) [us] of the experience of other times and other nations; it will qualify [us] as judges of the actions and designs of men.
Although a firm grasp on the past does not guarantee avoidance of its failures and mistakes, understanding the past and its patterns enhances (improves) one's ability to analyze the present and the future. Few human activites are devoid of historical analysis (without deep thought and lessons). Doctors cannot make a good diagnosis without first taking a medical history. Coaches cannot develop "game plans" without analyzing the tendencies (i.e., historical behavior) of their opponents. U.S. judges and lawyers cannot draft a judgment or write a brief without grasping precedent (looking and learning from the past). CEOs cannot reposition their companies without understanding market and sales history. Banks cannot loan to borrowers without taking credit history, and college admission officers cannot make a decision on an application until they feel comfortable that a student's academic performance history predicts a trajectory (pathway) of good future performance.
ISN'T HISTORY IRRELEVANT IN A WORLD OF RAPID TECHNOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CHANGE? No. Historians are specialists in change. The study of history teaches us to appreciate how complex most situations really are. The historian comes to see how individual motives and perspectives combine with multiple influences in shaping the future. They appreciate how unpredictable the future may be, given unexpected and unintended consequences. In a changing world, the understanding of change is ever more relevant. History sharpens our hindsight (knowledge looking back), which must be clear if we expect to wisely judge current challenges and issues.