For a long time, I could not really say why I love studying history. I have no formal background in history nor liberal arts. I have been intrigued by history since I was young. Then, when I was a business student at Yale University, I spent a considerable amount of time studying at Yale’s Department of History.

I think now I may have some answers.

History is A “Human” Science

I love history because history is a “human” science.

The study of science is hard and precise. The study of history is softer and more ambivalent. If the primary objective of science is truth, the primary objective of history is thinking about truth.

Because history is also a science, history demands an inquirer to be impartial and disinterested. But the contradiction between history’s ultra-longevity and an individual person’s limited lifespan means it is impossible for an inquirer to digest everything. This structure means the inquirer cannot help but remain remarkably human with his or her biases. History is destined to be a human science.

In addition, history is everything because everything eventually becomes history. Under the “big” history banner, you find many “small” ones: political history, social history, science history, military history, philosophical history, intellectual history … the list goes on. The study of history itself is also a history, therefore we have the concept of “historiography” — an attempt to understand how the study of history has evolved throughout history. And then there is the history of historiography. And it goes on and on.

I study history to learn the truth, yet I am always ready to compromise because there probably is no single truth. I want to be impartial, yet I know I cannot. It is endless. It is borderless. It is remarkably human. The study of history is unusually difficult, which only makes me like it more.

History is the Future

For thousands of years, across the East and the West, wise thinkers have been relying on works of history to help them make sound decisions. History represents the knowledge about the past. By studying it, people can acquire knowledge to help them understand the present.

Because history informs how we deal with the present, history has the power to shape our future. Put differently, studying history is studying the future. Quote George Orwell: “Who controls the past controls the future.”

Fostering A Sense of Agency

If one is serious about studying history, there is just too much to read. To be productive in one’s inquiry, one must be deliberate in the process. In other words, the inquirer must know what he or she is looking for. So, successful study of history both requires and imbues a sense of agency in the inquirer.

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