the [!

pside
Reod the following oryuments ond olternotive orguments and
filt jn the exomples where necessary

HISTORY

question: 'History does not help

us

to prepare for the future.,

ls

this true?

Answer: History is the discipline that records and interprets past events involving
human beings. lt is a convenient tool for us to glean insights and derive useful lessons
from. lnr- pndblc\ u.r to avoid m akp. in the lututc.
Qualifications: Howcver one must acknowledge that as the world rapidly evolves, what
worked in the past may no longer be relevant for the future. Hence, there is a constant
need to adapt and History may only be useful as a form of reference at times.

llistory allows us to learn from our

rstal es ol the past and pave a path of
ptimism and hope for the future
eneration. Making atonemcnts for past
haviour are markers of trust for the

ofthe past seem to have no

iscernible impact on the future and
ve fallen to deaf ea.s. Despite claiming
at we will atone for past behaviour, we
e lessons

ill come across governments and

ndividuals who are capable of torture
nd genocide.

isLory helps us predrct fLrture

ehaviour and make decisions- Wp

nstantly refer to past events to make
nse of whether we are going to do
better or wot5e in thc futLrre.

ffiffircil;

2009

constant harking back to the past

jt leads a country
only focus on its past glories rather
n the current realities- As such, we
ay ned a break from the past in order
o move into the prcsent.
n also be crippling as

the flipslde
e frfrrrists also believe that it is
trogressive to head into the 21't
ntury thinking about the past as what
orled very well in the past rs no longer
.:.': . i . '! i.,'::.r11, .1:: '.,.' ):'t.

2.

Concept/lssue: It lhere any value to H;story?

Question: 'The study of history is futile.' Do you agree?

Answer: WhV should we bother learning about things that happened far away and long
ago? lsn't there quite enough to learn about the world today? why add to thc burden by
looking at the past? Although these criticisms aim to question the value of History, one
cannot deny that ultimately the study o{ history is indccd worthwhile and necessary for
the education of effective citizens and worthv human beings. Historical knowledge is no
more and no less than caaefully and critically constructed collective mcmory. As such it
can both make us wiser in our public choices and mo.e richly human in 9ur private lives.
rguments
udying History merely encourages
indless memorisation. lt is a Iist of
rimes, misfortunes and waffare. one of
e re,rsons hi\tory holds rts place in
urrent education is because in the
ast, leaders believed that knowledge
f certain historical facts helped
istioguish the educated from the
neducated. SLrch a practice is no longer
f vaiue as the 21" century requires us
go bevond rote learning.

ffiffi;;-,.*,*'

istorV goes beyond just remembering

acts. As a discipline, History makes us
er thinkers through skills such as
iticallV analysinll evidence and

xploring different perspectives. lt

Prs a storehouse of information
bout how people and socretres behave.
It was the Spanish philosopher
antayana who once remarked that
hose who ignore history are doomed to
t its mistakes. We need to study
story more closely, and epply some of
he Iessons learnt to our current
ituations. (Various levels: individual,
tional, elobal).

the
n a borderless world where people are
ncreasingly mobile and in search of

dvancement opportunities, national

dentity (knowledge of nation's history)

construct, designed to maintain the

atus quo (the existing order of power
n society). ln a world that embraces
qual opportunitV for all, this is a
moded concept.

istory is usually written by victors and

ay lack objectivitV. lnformation can be
istofted / withheld to suit a ruling
arty's views and to iustifv a particLrlar

fEups$de

lui;t;;";id";

rd";t''tt.

r;

,*d

t'

llell the national story, emphasizing

ldistinctive featurcs of the national
ls
[xperience, and meant to drive home

lective history is essentialfor a

ntry to succeed and it inc0lcates a
nse of belonging and nationalistic
ride.

istorians are always at work

interpreting the past, asking new
uestions, searching new sources and
inding new meanings in old documents
n order to correct existing knowledge
nd provide a new dimension.

lrttp://ma rs.wnec.ed u/-grempel/courses/wc1/lectures/Olwhy.html

3.

Concept/lssue: History and its subjective nature

Question: 'History is a tool used by politicians to justify their

How accurate do you
'ntentions.'
find this observation to be?
Answer: Whether it's an ex president blocking release of incrjminating White House tapes, the
Russian government closing a KGB archive to foreign reseaachers or lapanese officials {orcing a
school textbook author to excise references to World War ll era atrocities, the public's ability to
learn the truth about historic events is hobbled when politicians manipulate history to serve

Qualifications: However, one must also consider that history can also serue as an instrument
for nation building and the implementation of sound policies when used wisely.

t*,.

n" roon

thc f[ipsEde
t times, politicians may withhold the
ruth to protect the nation's Past
ctions. Facts can bc omitted for the
i r.- ai lrtr- ,:. i,.:li..i.'r,.a','! i::,,rii, '.
ve been lambasted with
hitewashing historical facts by not
cknowledgiag its aggression on the

History can also become an accomplice

r politicians when it is used as
ustification for war-mongering efforts.
oliticians rnay rake Lrp pa5t wars, draw
arallels to the past events and inse.t
fcrences from the wars in the 20th
ntury in their speeches to convince
he public of the need to engage in

iticians use history as a tool to justify

eir policies and boost their popularity
mong voters. lt provides robust,
ompelling arguments in favor of a
ourse of action and it also makes them
ook profound and weli-read at the
ame time. But they carefully select the
vents that would aid them and
veniently ignore any past mistakes
hat may have happened.

ffi

.*r.

oo ,oo,

Iternative views
istorv is not just a tool of manipulation
ut it can be used by politicians to unite
nd build a nation. A collective history
li:: 'l .:r'rs. .,i l.al.rrtin: sir.1i:.1 I iir.l
coiilc lrouicl lie neaessaiy lo c ci.ia i.
national identity and ensure that the
people live harmoniously and are not
nclined to migrate to other countries.

istory can serve as a good guide for

liticians to plan the future ofthe
untry based on past events. lt can
erve as an instrument for good if the
liticians are able to apply the lessons
the past (domestic policies,
international and regional relationships)
reat leaders have emerged due to
heir knowledge and insightful
pplication of history.

the
4.

f!i6*sEde

concept/lssue: Optimism or Pessimism about the 20th/21"t C (past

future)

present

Question: Should we look towards the 21'1 century with optimism or pessimism?

evidence, but one ought to consider viewing it with optimism because despite a history
of warfare and destrLrction, Mankind is generally motivated by the desire to create a
better world for humanity.

Arguments
It is in our nature to not buckle down
to the weight of pessimism and to
choose to hope against all odds,
Deciding that our world is too bleak to
be saved suggests that hope and
relatlonships are meaningless.

Alternative views
Much of why pessimism persists
comes from the fact that we are
unable to come up with the
technological, political or legal fixes to
solve our world's problems. Despite
our human ingenuity and
perseverance, the problems of the
world are fundamentally unfixable by
us_

EC?

Despite Man's war records, there have

been efforts to rescue people who
were downtrodden and avoid war at
any cost. The advances in technology
provide more jobs and better standard
of living for more people. lT is an
innate desire for Man to create a
better world for society. We have
made tremendous progres5 in our
technologies, achievements and
svstems and the 21't century is one
filled with new opportLlnitics and
possibilities.
EC?

ffi'

sRtc GP 2009

rt zos c*t*v ir tiiGJ*'tn

"
history
of war, economic

ur""t

"
crisis caused

by greed and manipulation,

discrimination of all sorts. With such

an appalling record, it is hard to talk
about the 21't c with a great deal of
optimism.

C?

the ff Eps!de
Ultimately, lt depends on one's personal
choice of how one chooses to look at the
world based on their faith, values and
beliefs. Even one person can make a
aii- rilia.n: cir. i:'' io i ha \'. crl.i.

History quotes: http://www.quotegarden.com/history.html

1

Autobiography
Biography
Discipline

a collection of documnts and records.

An andivid!al's account oftheir Iife
An accountof an individual's life, written by another person
The study, or practicc, ofa subject usine a specificset of mthods,

termr

and approachs. Historyisa dlscip in, as i5 Archaeo losy, Chemistry or

Eiology.
Either the study ofthe prst, or the product of our attempts ro undcrstand

History

Historiosraphy

Th past

Eith er

the

elhods and principles !5ed

'f

the study of hGtory,

orihe

[vents which hrppned previously in timc. (Lncludc5 History as we]l a!

personalexperience)

Materinl ftom, or dkeclly related lo, the p.n. ln HGtory, primary sourcet
are usualy leiters, records or othr do.uments (e:ted du.ing the period
that is being studied, such as diaries, legal noliccs or accounts

Serondary Sources

10

Propaganda

Material.reated by somebody romoved from the event being5tudied

who w.r eithersot atthe event, orwas wo.kinglater. For instance, ali
historica! textbo oks a re second a ry s ou.ces.

11
72

13

14

ffi

informaiion, ideas, orrumorsdeliberatelyspread widc yto help orharm a

. rn L ru.ro . noL ol. p
To Sloss over or cover up

Historical revisionism

Nationalldentity
Tradition

t-r. *"oo,

the r examination ofthe acceptcd "f:cts" and interpretations ofhGtory

with.n eyetowards updatingitwilh newly d iscovered, morc accurate, and
less biased information. Broadly, it is a skeptic.l approach, that hlstory ae it
has been traditionally told may not be entirely accurate
The depiction ofa country as a whole, encomp.5slnS its culture, t.aditions,

".eJ"6, "nd DoL,l,,

ofcultur.l bcliefs,

A set

customs, practices, values long ettablislred rnd

pa5sed down fiom one genration to another generation-