The meaning of history refers both to the discipline of the social sciences that studies and recounts the past events of humanity, as well as to the narratives of true or fictitious events and events.
The word history derives from the Latin historĭa, which arose from the Greek ἱστορία (history), and whose meaning indicates research, information.
The term history is quite broad, for this reason it is important to state what its different uses are as the case may be, since, in general terms, it will always refer to a past event.
History can also be understood as the memorial exercise that allows connections, analysis, as well as to safeguard and transmit the events that precede and originate those that occur in the present.
Another use of the word history has to do with the fact that a person or event leaves a mark, changing paradigms, to be remembered for a long time. For example: “Usain Bolt has made history by being the fastest man in the world.”
Also, in the area of medicine, the term “medical history” is easily recognized every time we are attended by a doctor, either by a regular consultation or by a particular symptom.
In these stories doctors and specialists write the patient’s state of health and how it has evolved throughout a treatment, in case of having any particular condition.
Types of history
As the word history can be widely used in everything that indicates the story of a series of facts, true or not, occurred in the past, the narration and description of social and scientific research and even literary accounts, it is necessary to differentiate and expose each one separately.
History as a study discipline
The primary objective of history, as a discipline, is to provide knowledge about everything that happened in the past in order to understand what is happening in the present and, as far as possible, prevent what will possibly happen in the future.
Hence the importance of individuals and society in general having knowledge of past events, of history, in this way critical analyzes can be formulated that contribute to the understanding of the cultural and historical diversity of the different social groups that exist .
Therefore, in the various studies and analyzes carried out by all those who have specialized in the area of history, such as researchers or teachers, all those social, economic, political, cultural, religious events, among others, must be taken into account , which involve the reality of the social group they study or analyze.
That is, every present event has a past and, in turn, will generate a consequence in the future, hence the importance of knowing and relating the history of the story, either personally, or our society or country.
History is a tool that allows critical recognition of the diversity and traditions that surround us.
History as a discipline, finally, also opens the doors to direct people to know each other more as individuals and as part of a social group.
History in the natural sciences
History, as a discipline of study, also refers to both natural science. As a natural science, it is that discipline that involves all those investigations related to natural history and prehistory, that is, all those natural events that occurred before the appearance of the human being.
Consequently, theories have been developed that help interpret how human beings and societies have evolved through studies such as archeology, geology or paleontology.
History as a social science
History as a social science is related to politics, anthropology, sociology, religion and philosophy. These social sciences allow us to study how man has developed through history and the different social theories that have appeared for this purpose.
However, it is difficult to determine that the conclusions reached by these historical analyzes are completely unequivocal, especially because the social sciences are not accurate, and because it is an exposition of information that depends on a methodological treatment and a criterion that will define each individual or work group.
The various branches of the social sciences start from the prehistory and history of humanity in order to interpret the present. That is, the events of the present are part of the consequences of the past and the future will depend on the history that the present throws.
In this case, for example, history can be exposed or analyzed chronologically, as a universal history or even as an economic history.
Finally, it is important to emphasize that the objective of history is to analyze and interpret the transformations of societies based on past events.
Story as narration
History is also understood as all that narration, event or adventure, narrated orally or in writing, which tells a fact, whether real or fictitious.
However, it should be noted that not all the stories that are told have the same purpose, such as capturing a historical fact. For example, “Grandma Maria’s childhood stories are my favorites,” “what happened a year ago between us is history.”
In this case, history is referred to as that story that can be generated spontaneously for the simple pleasure of exposing a fact, real or imaginary, making use of literary resources and other tools of narration. For example, “I like fantasy stories because they are unreal and imaginary.”
