INTRO OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

The Meaning and Relevance of History

History & Sources

There are many definitions as there are many theories in history. The word history comes from the Greek word “historia” which means inquiry; knowledge acquired through investigation of the past. History also includes the academic disciplines which utilize narration to describe, examine, question and analyze sequence of the past. One historian states that history is a science whose business is to study events not accessible to our observation and to study events inferentially arguing from something else in which historian calls “evidence of events in which she or he is interested. (Philippine Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences 1993:1)

However, it is still a fact that the process of writing history is subject to different interpretation and depends on what theory the historian believes and accepts. In the presence of diversity in opinions and interpretations, historians generally considered the historical facts which can be recognized or assumed to be true and correct.

The study of history is the study of human achievement (Carr, 1970). The present can be fully understood through the reflection of the past. It is always significant to fully understand the past to evade repeating the same shortcomings, mistakes of the present for the future of our people and nation.

In the book “Understanding History” A Primer of Historical Method by Gottschalk discusses the type of sources, criticizing of documents internally and externally which are essential in the authenticity and credibility of historical sources.