The Historian’s Task, Essay Example

“The Historian’s Task is to Understand the Past; the Human Scientist, by Contrast, isLooking to Change the Future.”

Understanding the past and the future are important aspects in the advancement of knowledge.  Both historians and human scientists are crucial to the acquisition, development, and distribution of knowledge.  Historians are professionals who dedicate themselves to studying past events, people, and places.   Human scientists take acquired knowledge, analyze it, and use the information change the future and make improvements for humankind.  Both historians and human scientists have a responsibility to use knowledge in a fair and objective manner and to distribute it to the general public. Their interdependence on one another facilitates the expansion of knowledge.

Knowledge can be acquired in many forms including facts, information, skills, and education. Acquiring knowledge is a complicated process of perception, communication, association, and reasoning. The information must be available and presented in such a way where the majority of people are able to understand it. To make improvements for future generations, it is important individuals all over the globe should have access to as much information as possible.

Historians research past events and people to acquire knowledge.  The information may then be analyzed and interpreted so it can be presented to the public.  Historians may work in many arenas including government agencies, libraries, museums, professional research societies, or may even work for legal and consulting firms.

Understanding the past improves the future because it allows the human race to make better decisions and prevent previous mistakes. The past is filled with both positive and negative occurrences which must be better understood to make improvements for future generations.  Ensuring that the general public has access to as much information as possible, many tragediescan be prevented.  For example, the fact that American citizens of Japanese descent were imprisoned in internment camps was horrific, and many Americans of today would agree that it is shameful that a “civilized” nation would commit such an atrocity. However, during World War II, racism towards Japanese Americans was ignored and even encouraged in some instances.  Japanese Americans were taken from their homes, their jobs, friends and families and forced to live in camps.  When they were released, they struggled to rebuild their lives, as they had no home or income.Through it all, racism towards Asians was tolerated by the majority of Americans.  It was not until the 1980’s when apologies were made and reparations were given.  Understanding these events, in addition to the knowledge acquired during the civil rights movements in the twentieth century, allowed for better decisions to be made when a tragedy similar to the bombing of Pearl Harbor occurred.

When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, the accepted response of the United States was to engage in bigotry and place American citizens into internment camps.  When the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001, the results were very different.  True, this event instilled the desire to engage in war and retaliation.  Many Muslims in America faced discrimination and lived in fear of violence.  However, the prejudice endured by Japanese Americans was not viewed as acceptable behavior, and offenses committed towards Muslims were not tolerated by the law or by the general public.  Americans in the beginning of the twenty-first century had a greater knowledge and appreciation of humanity and equality.  The majority of the American population may have experienced fear; they were able to understand that a small group of terrorists did not represent most of the Muslims living in America.  One reason modern Americans understood this was because they had greater access to information that Americans during the World War II generation did not.

Researching past events is necessary because the knowledge can be applied to make improvements for the future.  Human scientists investigate historical knowledge and activities and analyze it in a rational, objective, and systemic method.  Theyresearch knowledge, beliefs, and information, and perform experiments to further increase the understanding of the past and present.  Human scientists are professionals who work in the fields of study such as history, economics, anthropology, philosophy, and sociology.They strive to find the purpose behind past events and actions and apply it to better understanding present and future occurrences.  Historians function as human scientists when they are able to take their research and use it for practical applications and scientific study.

Many methods are used by human scientists to better understand knowledge.  Often, human scientists use causation and correlation to better analyze and interpret information.  They will make inferences and estimates by taking accumulated facts and can use this material to solve problems.

Human scientists rely on both qualitative and quantitative data. They are often thought to rely solely on information which is qualitative and subjective in nature, and therefore their information may not be taken as seriously as others in the scientific community. However, human scientists use quantitative and objective studies with the scientific method, just as natural scientists use qualitative data, such as case studies and personal testimonies.  Human scientists are able to use both types of information and many will conduct experiments using the scientific method.The scientific method is a process of stages, used by both human and natural scientists to better understand information.  The knowledge acquired must be based on empirical evidence, measurable, and reproducible.  When there is a problem or an observation is made, a human scientist will often research information and use it to make a prediction on the anticipated outcome.  They can then formulate an experiment and analyze the results.

Whether the information is obtained through observation, case studies, surveys, research, or the scientific method, human scientists will take this information and present it to the public. The data can be recorded for further research and analysis by historians. Human science builds on previous knowledge and this is a major part of the motivation needed to promote change.

Returning to the example of the Japanese American internment camps, human scientists evaluated their struggles to rebuild their lives and made estimates to what reparations they were owed. Human scientists can also use the struggles and evaluate how it may have shaped the lives of not only the individuals who were imprisoned, but how it affected the lives of their offspring.  Factors such as education, emotional and physical health, and financial success can be analyzed to see the impact of this atrocity.This information can help to improve the lives of the Americans who were imprisoned while simultaneously be used to educate other Americans on the effects of prejudice and irrational fear.   After the events of September 11, 2001, the government was able to use this information and deem it inappropriate action for Muslims in the United States.  As a result, the lives of many Muslim individuals were not as damaged as the Japanese Americans in the 1940s.  And when discrimination occurred against the Muslim population, at least the majority of Americans recognized that it was wrong.

Women in the workforce have been positively affected by the accumulation and application of knowledge by historians and human scientists. Currently in the United States, most people know that women have just as much value in the workforce as men.  However, not long ago, women were limited in their ability to work and were restricted to being homemakers, secretaries, nurses, or teachers.  The past “knowledge” was that women were not as smart capable as men and were better suited to domestic roles where they could utilize their natural nurturing abilities.  Both historians and human scientists recognized this error and knew that a change must be made to improve the status of women in the United States.  Historians researched information regarding women’s psychology and physiology, and the biases of the past people.  This information was applied by human scientists to better understand the value of women in the workforce and how this could be beneficial to women, society in general, and even the economy.  Because of this knowledge, American women today enjoy the freedom of being able to pursue any avenue they desire.

There is no major contrast between the roles of historians and human scientists. Both professions are interdependent on one another. History is one avenue of human science and many historians will often present their information in a systematic and objective manner to educate the public.  They analyze and interpret their research, and apply it to their areas of concern. Human scientists can act as historians when they research information before analyzing and interpreting it.  In order for knowledge to progress, human scientists must have access to historical events. Historians can have just as much influence on changing the future as human scientists because it is necessary for the information to be readily available.

Historians and scientists both play important roles in the acquisition and application of knowledge. In order to improve future conditions, the past must be understood.  If nothing is applied, then the knowledge accumulated is useless.  Historians and human scientists must appreciate one another to have a positive impact on the development of knowledge.