What is the History? Where is Man in History?
History has evolved as a cultural definition and has survived to the present day. The word “History” in Western languages is also derived from the Greek word “historia” and is defined by the development of a literary genre as “story, narrative, story”. In other words, it has been accepted as the story of what happened in the past.
These two cultural definitions emerged from their roots, converging and developing to form the definition of “history” today. History has gained meaning based on different bases such as national, political, religious and ideological.
However, the actual definition of history is about accurately recording and understanding all kinds of events that have occurred throughout human history, without any ideological or national basis. The fact that historians compile events in order and understand cause and effect relationships plays an important role in the process of defining history.
Although the subject of history is human, nature is also in the background. History is the human being making the most of the opportunities offered by nature, with its advanced adaptability on earth. Man’s interaction with nature, combined with geography, biology, chemistry and other branches of science, is of great importance in the formation of the understanding of history.
When a historian enters his class, the first question he or she faces is, “What is history?” Although there are thousands of definitions made by thousands of historians, the basic definition of history is a complex structure consisting of man’s interaction with nature. History is a set of events that human beings combine with their adaptability, culture and curiosity and evaluate the opportunities offered by nature.
The study of history should not be limited to human history. Many issues such as the interaction of humans with nature, the change of geography and climate, the evolution of plant and animal species, the effects of natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are also part of history.
With such a wide range of history, the job of historians becomes quite difficult. There are many details that need to be decided, such as what issues to examine, what approach to adopt, what resources to use. Therefore, the study of history should be carried out with a certain discipline and method.
Historians conduct their research in a certain continuity in order to understand the cause-and-effect relationships of historical events. Various sources are used in the research process. These can be written sources (newspapers, letters, diaries, historical artifacts), archaeological findings, works of art, photographs, films, etc.
The study of history also requires a critical analysis and evaluation of sources. Issues such as the reliability and objectivity of the sources, and how much of the historical events reflect should be questioned.
When studying historical events, historians do not consider the events in a context in which they are solely their own. The cultural, political, economic and social contexts of historical events are also taken into account. These contexts are important for understanding the causes and consequences of historical events.
The study of history not only provides an understanding of events that happened in the past, but also provides clues for our present and future. The study of history shows at what points in human history it has made mistakes, what it has done right, and what the consequences have been suffered. Learning from the mistakes of the past can prevent the same mistakes from happening again in the future.
History is a discipline of vital importance for humanity. It examines not only the events of the past, but also how people and nature interacted. History studies is a field of research that emerges as a result of the meticulous examination of its sources and its execution with an objective approach.
In short, the subject of history is everything. To give an example:
History is a burger menu. The discovery of sugar in cola in the Papua Islands and mankind’s passion for the energy return of sugar, the production of cattle that provided the meat of meatballs in Asia and Europe, the spread of wheat in the production of bread from Mesopotamia, the production of Tomato Ketchup and Potato in American civilizations, the development of the onion by East Asian civilizations, then the development of salt in Africa and the development of spices in India.
Then the history is; Although our main subject is human, it is the developed adaptation ability of people to all kinds of biological-geographical changes that have developed in the world formed long before humanity and the use of them for the benefit of man. In other words, the subject of history is human as well as its background is the universe, nature. Nature, geography, biology, chemistry, and sociology, philosophy and economics are the most important parts of history.
