What is reading in Philippine history?

Readings in Philippine History aims to equip students with critical thinking and reading skills by
applying historical methodologies in the study of Philippine history. This book's emphasis on the
use of primary sources corresponds to the thrust of the new General Education Curriculum to
view the past in the lens of eyewitnesses. This book's approach is focused on the analysis of the
context, content, and perspective of selected primary sources, through which students of history
could be able to gain a better understanding of the past, deepening their sense of identity, and
locating themselves in the greater narrative of the nation.

What is History?
‘History is the study of people, actions, decisions, interactions, and behaviors
History is narratives. From chaos comes order. We seek to understand the past by determining
and ordering ‘facts’; and from these narratives, we hope to explain the decisions and processes
which shape our existence. Perhaps we might even distill patterns and lessons to guide – but
never to determine – our responses to the challenges faced today. History is the study of people,
actions, decisions, interactions, and behaviors. It is so compelling a subject because it
encapsulates themes that expose the human condition in all of its guises and that resonate
throughout time: power, weakness, corruption, tragedy, and triumph … Nowhere are these
themes clearer than in political history, still the necessary core of the field and the most
meaningful of the myriad approaches to the study of history. Yet political history has fallen out
of fashion and subsequently into disrepute, wrongly demonized as stale and irrelevant. The result
has been to significantly erode the utility of ordering, explaining, and distilling lessons from the
past.

History’s primary purpose is to stand at the center of a diverse, tolerant, intellectually rigorous
debate about our existence: our political systems, leadership, society, economy, and culture.
However, open and free debate – as in so many areas of life – is too often lacking and it is not
difficult to locate the cause of this intolerance.

What is the origin of the word 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. 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.

The words story and history share much of their lineage, and in previous eras, the overlap
between them was much messier than it is today. “That working out of distinction,” says Durkin,
“has taken centuries and centuries.” Today, we might think of the dividing line as the one
between fact and fiction. Stories are fanciful tales woven at bedtime, the plots of melodramatic
soap operas. That word can even be used to describe an outright lie. Histories, on the other hand,
are records of events. That word refers to all time preceding this very moment and everything
that really happened up to now.

Who is the father of History and Why?

In the Western world, Herodotus is known as the Father of History. It is because he was the
author of the very first authoritative historical text. He earned the title of "Father of History"
from the Roman statesman Cicero.

Herodotus's multi-volume account is filled with various informative digressions of the Greco-
Persian Wars. Herodotus was sometimes criticized for various outright discussions.

Importance of studying History

1. History helps us develop a better understanding of the world.
Understanding history helps us understand the world at large. History paints a detailed picture of
how society, technology, and government worked in the past so that we can better understand
how it works now. While world history might feel far away, studying history reveals how all
events are connected. It also helps us determine how to approach the future, as it allows us to
learn from our past mistakes (and triumphs) as a society.
2. History helps us understand ourselves.
To understand who you are, you need to develop a sense of self. Studying history at large can
help us understand our personal history—learning where you fit into the story of your country or
the global community in the grand scheme of things. History isn’t about dates, names, and
events; history is about people, and history’s people tells you the story of how your nation, city,
or community came to be everything that it is. It tells you where your ancestors came from and
how their lives were shaped. Most importantly of all, it gives you the ability to spot (and
appreciate) the legacies you may have inherited.

3. History helps us understand other people.

History isn’t just an essential introduction to your own country, ethnic heritage, and ancestry. It’s
also a valuable tool when it comes to understanding the cultural history of those who are
different from us. Global, national, and regional history books help us understand how other
cultures affect our own.
They encourage us to develop a greater appreciation for multicultural influences within our own
communities as well – exactly why everyone should study African American history, Native
American culture, immigrant history, and so forth, regardless of their own cultural background.
4. History teaches a working understanding of change.
Change can be a difficult concept to understand. Each of us has a different experience with the
rest of the world – an experience shaped by societal norms, cultural differences, personal
experiences, and more. We know when we as individuals crave change and why. But the study
of history is a study of change, on a broader scale. History helps us better understand how, when,
and why change occurs (or should be sought) by demonstrating the historical evolution of ideas,
technologies, beliefs, places, and more.

5. History helps us be decent citizens.

Good citizens are always informed citizens, and no one can consider himself to be an informed
citizen without a working knowledge of history. This is the case whether we’re talking about our
role in our community or to our nation overall. History helps us become better voters, develop
self-awareness, participate in society, and adopt responsible public behavior. Through
responsible and informed citizenship, we can better inform others as well.
6. History makes us better decision-makers.
“Those that do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” Those words were first spoken by
George Santayana, and they are still very relevant today because of how true they are. You don’t
need a history degree to benefit from history’s lessons—to learn from past mistakes and improve
judgment. It helps us understand the many reasons why people may behave the way they do. As
a result, it helps us become more compassionate as people and more impartial as decision-
makers. Our judicial system is a perfect example of this concept at work.
7. History helps us develop a new level of appreciation for just about everything.
History is more than just the living record of nations, leaders, and wars. It’s also the story of us.
It’s packed with tales of how someone stood up for what they believed in, or died for love, or
worked hard to make their dreams come true. When we appreciate history, we appreciate the
sacrifices and hard work of those who came before us. All of those things are concepts we can
relate to, as could the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, or Martin Luther King.
Plus, history is just plain interesting. Everything you like about your favorite movies, television
shows, and fiction novels is yours to experience right here in reality when you study history,
whether in or out of a history department. Explore the possibilities today and step into a whole
new world that will change who you are forever.

The distinction between primary and secondary sources

Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. Examples include
interview transcripts, statistical data, and works of art. A primary source gives you direct access
to the subject of your research.

Secondary sources provide second-hand information and commentary from other

researchers. Examples include journal articles, reviews, and academic books. A secondary source
describes, interprets, or synthesizes primary sources.
Primary sources are more credible as evidence, but good research uses both primary and
secondary sources.

Difference between external criticism and internal criticism

Today we are going to define and discuss the differences between an internal and an external
critique of a view. This distinction is vitally important in a debate since many people will switch
between the two types of critique invalidly. First, an internal critique is a critique that assumes
the truth of some premise or worldview in order to examine what would be the case if it were
true. This is most often expressed as a type of reductio ad absurdum.[1] It attempts to show there
is a problem with the consistency of some view. It does not attempt to show whether or not the
view is actually true, as a matter of fact. In this way, both someone who accepts the view and
someone who rejects the view can discuss the critique without thereby committing themselves to
the truth of the view. A frequent example of an internal critique is when a skeptic will bring up
the slaughter of the Canaanites, for example. They will say, “How can an all-good and all-loving
God order the slaughter of the Canaanites?” They want to know how such an order is consistent
with the proposed character of God.

An external critique, on the other hand, does seek to criticize a view on matters of fact. External
critiques will, like the internal critiques, not be committed to the truth of the proposition or view
involved, but, unlike internal critiques, it will be committed to the falsity of those views. An
external critique may or may not grant a consistency aspect to the view involved; this is strictly
irrelevant.[2] An example of this might be: “The Bible has been revised so many times there’s no
possible way we know what is says!” The externalist’s claim, then, is that there is some truth
about the world that contradicts a particular claim or view.

So why does this matter? Because many times, skeptics and new atheists will oscillate between
an internal and external critique as if they were precisely the same critique. A recent example
concerns Lawrence Krauss and his recent dialogues with William Lane Craig. Krauss asked
Craig the question about the Canaanites, to which Craig responded in a way that showed such a
thing was consistent. Krauss, remarkably, granted that such an action would be consistent on
Craig’s view, but then demanded, “but is it true!?” Notice the switch? Such a switch is irrelevant;
an atheist and a Christian alike can discuss the question because precisely what is at stake is
whether or not the view is consistent! Knowing whether or not the proffered view of Craig is true
is going to be an external critique. But in that case, Krauss will have to do more than merely
raise the consistency issue. He will have to claim that, as a matter of fact, Craig’s solution is not
true—and that, I think, is not forthcoming.

When someone criticizes your view of something, it is vitally important that you identify
whether or not it is an internal or external critique. Doing so helps to focus the conversation. It
should also result in better dialogues between the Christian and the unbeliever.

Different kinds of primary sources

Literary or cultural sources:

novels, plays, poems (both published and in manuscript form)

television shows, movies, or videos
paintings or photographs

Accounts that describe events, people, or ideas:

newspapers
chronicles or historical accounts
essays and speeches
memoirs, diaries, and letters
philosophical treatises or manifestos

Finding Information about people:

census records
obituaries
newspaper articles
biographies
Finding information about organizations:

archives (sometimes held by libraries, institutions, or historical societies)

search Library Catalog Search or WorldCat using the name of the organization as an author

Finding information about a place:

maps and atlases

census information
statistics
photographs
city directories
the local library or historical society

Different kinds of secondary sources

surveys of broad historical periods,
works that focus on specific events or topics,
literary and cultural criticism,
and works on theory and methodology.