Friday, November 1, 2013

What is important? (Chapter 6)

How do historians choose what is important or irrelevant. Strayer presents five ways that some historians use for criterions to evaluate the past:
1. Duration: The longest period in history should be the main focus.
2. Change: Then change that has happened to humans either directly or indirectly.
3. Population: the amount of humans occupying a certain region 
4. Influence: Religion and philosophies that have become important to us
5. Location: the location of historian and his or her audience.

I always wondered how authors/historians choose to insert certain facts, stories, etc in my textbook and now I know. I wouldn't say-- I understand them totally but I understand that their is a lot of facts, research in history and they are here to tell/share.