History is the life of nations and of humanity. It is how we know oursleves.
History, therefore, is more than just knowing what happened in terms of the external events. It involves a deeper understanding of what caused those events, and the meaning of those events.
Tolstoy touches on this point in Chapter 1 of this epilogue and elsewhere.
quote from the chapter:
What does all this mean? Why did it happen? What made those people burn houses and slay their fellow men? What were the causes of these events? What force made men act so? These are the instinctive, plain, and most legitimate questions humanity asks itself when it encounters the monuments and tradition of that period.
For a reply to these questions the common sense of mankind turns to the science of history, whose aim is to enable nations and humanity to know themselves.
Second Epilogue, key concept note 4
What is history?
Summary:
What is history?
History is the life of nations and of humanity. It is how we know oursleves.
History, therefore, is more than just knowing what happened in terms of the external events. It involves a deeper understanding of what caused those events, and the meaning of those events.
Tolstoy touches on this point in Chapter 1 of this epilogue and elsewhere.
quote from the chapter:
What does all this mean? Why did it happen? What made those people burn houses and slay their fellow men? What were the causes of these events? What force made men act so? These are the instinctive, plain, and most legitimate questions humanity asks itself when it encounters the monuments and tradition of that period.
For a reply to these questions the common sense of mankind turns to the science of history, whose aim is to enable nations and humanity to know themselves.
Click here to read full text of Chapter 1 of this epilogue.
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