What is History?

DUH???!!!!

But who Decides what is important?Why do we bother learning about them?

What is History?

Important way of thinking about the world

History helps us make sense of the world

History is an academic discipline It is NOT an easy thing to study

The Ongoing Argument

What are the facts? Use your judgment Here comes your viewpoint

Why does the argument go on? New evidence

Ancient document New archeological discover

Fresh look Correct errors Explain events in a different way

Reading History

Don’t assume that what you’re reading is the final truth Who wrote this document? When was it written? What kinds of evidence does the

author use? Is the evidence reliable? Is the author trying to promote a

particular viewpoint?

Example of a Historical Argument

The Scientific Revolution Most text books say:

started in Western Europe with a man named Copernicus in the early 1500’s

He proposed the idea that the planets travel around the sun.

How did he get that idea?

Ptolemy had a picture of the universe where the earth was the center.

But…..he couldn’t explain the observed motions of the other planets

He built numerous complications into his theory to make it work.

Copernicus Wins!

He thought that Ptolemy’s account was over complicated.

He argued that things fell in place when everything traveled around the sun….not the earth.

Today….we know Copernicus was right….therefore he is honored as the father of the Scientific Revolution.

But is this the whole story????

Some historians believe Copernicus got his ideas from the work of Muslim scientists.

Muslim scientists preserved ancient texts and when Rome fell, some of these ideas traveled to Western Europe.

Did their ideas inspire Copernicus? Ibn al-Shatir noted problems in Ptolemy’s

theory in the 14th Century. Ibn al-Shatir’s mathematical arguments are

very close to those used by Copernicus later on.

Historians know that Ibn al-Shatir’s text made their way to Rome.

Whats More…..Copernicus once studies in Rome.

So Who’s Right?

Did Copernicus see Ibn al-Shatir’s work?

If so did he use it in criticizing Ptolemy?

Or did Copernicus just happen to come up with the same ideas?

Copernicus’s writings don’t mention Ibn al-Shatir. So we lack proof he knew about the

Muslim scientists work.

What do we have?

Two facts, plus some logic. 1st fact: Muslim text closely resemble

some of what Copernicus did. Logical agument: the similarity is

not coincidence 2nd fact: the history of science has

many examples of discoveries being made independently by different people.

This is just the way History works:

Sometimes evidence doesn’t allow us to say for sure what happened. We are left with probabilities

What is more or less likely When reading History

Look at the evidence Look at the arguments Make the best judgment about who

is right

So really, What is History?

A study of the past A way of making sense of the world An academic discipline A combination of facts and

interpretations of facts An ongoing argument that changes as

new evidence is uncovered. IT IS ALIVE!!!!!!

HOMEWORK!!!!

Answer the following questions: Is History just a listing of facts? Why or

Why not? Why might two different historians

come up with different versions of the past?

Why are historical interpretations subject to change?

How does the example of Copernicus show why it is important to questions and evaluate the history we read?