OUTLINE
 
by Paul Nervy
Copyright (c) 2006 by Paul Nervy
 
Visit www.paulnervy.com.


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HISTORY

Contents
Methodology of history.
	Philosophy of history
	Science of history
	Art of history
Historical Data (see History database).  (Geological history.  Biological history.  Human evolution.  History of civilization) 
History of historiography
Future Studies


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History

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What is history?

History as the past.  History as the events that happened.

History as historiography.  History as the way we record and think about the stuff that happened.

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Types of history

Autobiography.  Diaries.
Biography
Psycho-biography.  Get inside their head.  Put them on the couch.

Social history
Political history
Economic history

Geographic history.  History of a place.
Period history.  History of a time period.

History of an event

History of a subject
History of an object

Microhistory
Macrohistory

New History

Quantitative methods of history.  Statistical analysis history.

Women's history.  Feminist history.  By women for women.

Environmental history

Marxist history.

Pop culture history.  History of mass marketed, low quality, entertainment.

History of the masses.  History of the ignored, oppressed and exploited.

History of ideas.

History of problems.



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METHODOLOGY OF HISTORY

How do we do history?

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PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY


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Types of philosophy of history.

Analytic or critical philosophy of history
Analytic or critical philosophy of history studies the concepts, presuppositions and methods used by historians.

Substantive or speculative philosophy of history
Substantive or speculative philosophy of history studies the entirety of past and tries to discern patterns in the historical process.


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Importance of history.

History is not important.  
	History is irrelevant.  
	The past is dead.
	History is not useful.

History is important.
	Historical determinism.  History is all important because the past determines the future.
	"Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat its mistakes".  Who said that?


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Change

The view that things don't change.

The view that things do change.

Things changing for the better we call progress.


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Progress

Progress is being made.
	Things are improving.
	More and more people are gaining a better and better quality of life.

Progress is not being made.
	Things don't change.  There is stasis.  History is static.
	People don't change.  Human nature does not change.
	Technology increases human capacity to do evil as well as good.
	There is change but it does not get better or worse, merely different.

Things are getting worse
	Some people think the world is going down the toilet at an ever increasing rate.

Its a cycle.  Its a pendulum.
	The pendulum swings one way and then another.  Things get better, then worse, then better, then worse, ad nauseum.


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What is the engine of historical development?

Science and technology?

Economics and business?  Marx said yes.

Politics and law?

Philosophy?


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Historical truth
What is the nature of historical truth?

Historical explanation
What is the nature of historical explanation?


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How is historical inquiry similar and different from other forms of inquiry?


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Evolutionary theory and history.
How has Dariwn's theory of evolution affected the way historians think and work?
There is no plan. 
History is not predestined.

Postmodernism and history.
End of grand narratives.


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Man is an historical animal.
Time is inescapable.

Can we learn from the past? 
Or is every situtation unique?

Are there historical laws?
Or are there only laws of other types?  Scientific laws.

Is history a science in the sense of the natural sciences?
Or is history a science in the sense of the social sciences?
Or is history not a science but an art?




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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION

Should history be construed as a science?
How is history similar and different from the sciences?  From the hard sciences.  From the soft sciences.



Historical sciences

Geology.  
Geochronology.

Biological evolution
Fossils.
Radio-carbon dating.

Paleontology

Archeology

Anthropology.  
	Physical anthropology.
	Cultural.



TOOLS AND TECHNOLOOGY OF HISTORY

Carbon dating.

Ground visioning.


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ART OF HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION


Selection of historical events to include.

Evaluation of the importance of events.


Narrative and its role in the process of historiography.  The Historical Novel

Databases and their role in the process of historiography


Imagination and its role in the process of historiography.

Interpretation and its role in the process of historiography.


Ethics and its role in the process of historiography.  
Should one write historical narratives that have a moral or lesson?
Should history try to remain free of value judgedments?  


Historical criticism.  Of texts.  Of images.  



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Other terms pertaining to history


Mathematical tools for history.  Time lines.  Statistical records.

Computer tools for history.  Multimedia.


cliometrics

historical sociology

historicism

oral history
Interview

written history
history based on personal letters
history based on newspaper reports

Audio/video history
Drawings, paintings and sculpture.
Photography.  Digital photography.  Cell phone cams.
Sound recordings.  Live tape recordings.
Television cameras.  Live television.
Movies.  Digital movies.  Live movies.


History based on the nightly television news


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Historians and Philosophers of History (see history database)


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HISTORICAL DATA (see History database)

WORLD HISTORY (see History database)
Geological history - history of the earth  (see History database)
Biological history - history of living things (see History database)
Human evolution - history of evolution of man (see History database)
Historiography - written history, history of civilization (see History database)

Since I am a world citizen, why should I have a section for American history?



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ARCHAEOLOGY

Digging on land.
Digging under water.
Sonar for water.  Radar for air.  Under-ground imaging technologies for archaeologists.

Excavating.
Enduring materials like:
Stone.
Fossilized bone.
Bone.
Metal
Ceramics.
Decomposable materials like:
Campfire ash
Leather.
Wood

Digging up dumps, trash, landfills.
Digging up graves.




Discovery of fossils.

Discovery of dinosaur bones.  Paleontology.

Cope and Marsh.  Rival dinosaur bone collectors.

Discovery of ancient human bones.

Discovery of Neanderthal bones.

Discovery of the Lascaux caves and cave painting.

Java man.  Discovery of bones in Asia.

Discovery of bones in Africa.

Louis Leakey.
Richard Leakey.

Discovery of fossilized human foot prints.

Lucy.  1974.



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ANTHROPOLOGY


Physical anthropology

Cultural anthropology
Primitive cultures


Direct ancestors of current humans
Australopithecenes.  5 million years old
Homo Erectus.  2 million years old.
Homo Sapiens.  100,000 years old.

Cousin ancestors of current humans.  Humanoid or hominid creatures whose evolutionary branch died out.
Neanderthals.  100,000 years old.
Homo Habilis?

Boas
Frazer
Heyerdal
Levi Strauss
Malinowski
Mead


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A History of Problems

Famine (hunger, starvation, malnutrition) - China, Ethiopia, Somalia

Illness - Malaria, Dysentery, 

Poverty

Education, Illiteracy, Ignorance.

Oppression and exploitation - Slavery, Child labor, Women's oppression, Propaganda and Censorship.  Crime.


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CURRENT EVENTS

Current events is merely recent history, so put it in the history section.

Keep up with future studies before its current events.
Keep up with current events before its history.

Current events
Issues
Issues by date, as they evolve.
What's happening.  How to analyze it.  What stance to take?
Are these issues really important or just a distraction from real issues.



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FUTURE STUDIES

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Scope or scale of the future.
The near future (short term) vs. the far future (long term).
The local future vs. the global future.
Think long term and global as much as you think short term and local.


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Factual evidence
Trends that growing.
Trends that are fading.

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Forecasting and Planning is something that everyone does.
	Individuals: Planning for the future
	Groups: Businesses, Organizations, Nations, etc.

Methods of forecasting
Delphi method

Methods of planning
Develop goals
Develop a short and long term strategy
Develop tactics


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Futurists
Paul Saffo
Watts and Wacker
Faith Popcorn
Stewart Brand and Danny Hillis and the Long Now.

Future Societies and Organizations
Sante Fe Institute

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Future of the U.S.

Future of the World


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Future by Subject Areas.  

Technology and science.
	Computers.  Increase in processing power.
	Internet.  Growth of Internet.  More people online.
	Genetic Engineering.  Human cloning.  DNA modification.
	New scientific discoveries lead to new technologies.

Politics
	Development of Third World Countries.
	Increased global interdependence.
	U.S. relinquishes or shares power.

Social trends
	Religious fanaticism.  Fundamentalism.

Economics
	Economic cycles continue.
	Information economy replaces Industrial and Agrarian economies.
	Less poverty worldwide?  Or rich get richer and poor get poorer?  

Health
	Increasing physical health reflected in longer life spans.
	New challenges to mental health.
	Increases in literacy and education worldwide.


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