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What is History?


            
             History can be defined in a number of ways. Some ways to define history include, the study of human psychology and social systems, or the study of the power struggles between great empires as they rise and fall. It can be seen as the study of exceptionally gifted individuals and leaders of men, while some even see it all as the will of god.
             While there are many different interpretations as to what history is all about, there are some common characteristics that they all share in common. For example, history shares some aspects of science, in that it uses the scientific method of inventing a hypothesis. Since a whole lot of a historian's job is based around guesswork, it can be seen like detective work, making intuitive judgments from what information is available.
             From the often unreliable and sometimes vague pieces of evidence available, it is important to take into account the type of source being used. Evidence known as a primary source, would be a far more reliable source of information, such traits a primary source would entail are, unbiased information such as weather, time and environment, eye witness/ direct experience, and information which comes from those not long after the event took place. A good example of a secondary source would be an emotional account of an event, which has been reported some ten years after the incident being studied.
             As with identifying a piece of evidence as primary or secondary, there are also many other factors, which come into the judging of, the reliability of the evidence.
             Because of this, historical conclusions will always be just that, conclusions tied together from whatever reliable evidence, the investigator could muster. This means there will unlikely be any history written in stone, but history can at least give us some valuable insights into the nature of the human psyche, and with that, valuable insight into are own nature.
             With the nature of the universe being that of cause and effect, while the nature of humans is to be controlled by the consequences of the effect, historical sources can become completely devoid of credibility due to the high chance of lying and exaggeration for the individuals personal betterment.


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