Knowledge Issues: History and Human Sciences - Essay Example

Knowledge Issues: History and Human Sciences History and human sciences are major sources of information for academic advancement and in understanding the evolution of a civilization, including the changes of human behaviors as they respond to the societal stimuli that encourage changes or adaptation. The horses which used to be the historic mode of transportation, for instance, has been replaced with cars, trains, airplanes, helicopters or choppers as invention radically evolved throughout the past decades. Armed conflicts inspired by resource-based conflict for want of control among states have started with the use of knives and swords but which is replaced with different weapons of armory and the use of lethal chemicals for warfare. The strategies of conventional warfare also changed as guerilla warfare, both in the mountains and urban centers, are supported with technology that can tract peoples movement using satellite imagery and information technology. These advancements have indeed changed peoples’ behaviors as variegated theories came into perspective along with the advancement of economy and technology. These are propelled by historical details that gracefully shaped ideas, provide direction, and realized creative patterns of societal development. This is also true to sociological, economic, philosophical, and psychological information that has evolved from ancient time to post-modern period. These theories supported the development experiments and encourage further researchers which also aided the advancement of medical profession that uses now advance technology for healthcare and for pharmacological development – which is radically different than that of traditional medication in the olden days. Ways of Knowing: Perception and Reason Historians were excellent at recording these developments by writing books, preserving images of places and peoples, recording anthropological stories, and painstakingly analyzing the developments to provide historical context and meaning to new generations of scholars. These records are preserved in historical books, encyclopedia, research databases, and other sources where historic facts can be generated. It has become a wealthy resource for managing human behaviors, in dealing diplomatic relations with states, in upholding conciliation for regional conflicts, in improving healthcare management, and in improving infrastructures to fit the needs of the communities as well as the political aspiration of the civilization. These volumes of academic historical facts became a compendium for comparative analysis that may delve on the complexity of the relations between scientific knowledge and actions of civilization, including the processes they have undertaken that could provide breadth in the intellectual passions of a nation (Coppieters & Huysseune, 2002). These records of the past and how it impact to human sciences which inspire contextual political discourses in peoples movements, in national unrests, in nation-building, and in interpreting divergent understanding of the nation (Coppieters & Huysseune, 2002). These are significant for scholars whose passion is centered on impartiality truthfulness and moral accountability. And thus, history provides interpretive understanding of national contexts which researchers would love to delve about to understand the relation between academic pursuit, state’s political objectives of the state, and the reconstruction of identities who could be subject of inquiry. Researchers likewise contended that scientific knowledge may provide prominence on the identities from past and use it as a blueprint for future intervention to accord redress to historical grievances in an objective and scientific manner—taking hold of the context when the circumstance occurred. This is also true among entrepreneurs who are constantly engaged in understanding the rapid changes of its environment. They constantly used information from its records, including its historical accounts, to be able to maintain its position and objectives while they are competitively advancing with the rest of the business communities. The system is even more in social politics where most executive and legislative decisions are anchored on historical experiences, not only of its country but also of the rest of the experiences of the global community. This is relevant in shaping governance, in resolving internal conflict of the state, in managing its human resources that has grown multicultural and multiracial, and in managing its industries amid challenges in this post- modern era. Advance nations advocated for internationalization of issues as survivors of conflict situation often sought assistance from them to end ethnic strife, political rift, resource control issues, security problems and right-based concerns. Thus, the sad historic issues of racial segregation are acted by the international conventions for integration to avoid future human conflicts in the world (Flew, 1986 p. 123). Some cultural practices from the past are also slowly corrected by legislation of policies to put an end to dissent and violence. Bernard Berelson, a political analyst, emphasized the need for a constructive opposition to any government to provide checks and balances. Massive ecological devastation wrought by climate change also led governments and survivors to learn from the lessons of preparedness and to embrace resiliency for recovery and to act for further conservation of resources. Learning from the lessons of the past have also encouraged them to be more protective in their environment and to be more caring for the enforcement of policies that could help mitigate ecological devastation effectively (Popper, 2002 p. 42). Extent of history And thus, history is instrumental in interpreting concretely the events that propel a civilization to move and act on necessary changes to improved and harmonious living. It could not be said that history is entirely focused on the past though it’s regarded as a compendium of the past. Being significant in reconstructing realities and in according recommendations from contextual information of the past, history become an extension of the present. Like a person, the birth date constitutes not only his natal day but also of the evolution from childhood to adulthood and albeit the possible death of one’s parents, still they formed part of the continuing reality of a person’s being. History draw moral lessons from experiences of people and it also impart important lessons on life that inspire human sciences to shape behaviors and change norms of a society (Edmund, 1973 p. 23). It legitimizes a goal and the processes. The effective use of history to attain a certain objective is ideal in advancing a context of political and intellectual pluralism to unravel interpretive frameworks. These are helpful for democratic institutions and traditions present in enjoying academic freedom to resolve a question of national interest. It challenges myths and intellectual mystics to reconstruct a scientific judgment and opinion (Schopflin, 1997, p. 19). The comparative historical analysis made by social scientists also addresses historical transformations that improved human condition although these passed through sad revolutions, challenging exercise of democracy, and issues of authoritarianism, including the invention of social policy or social welfare (Schopflin, 1997, p. 19). The analyses are driven to satisfy the interest of scholars and the intention of which the study is wielded upon. It may include appreciation of social sciences with prescientific ideas derived from custom and religion but however scholars found comprehensible description that could contextually add meaning to the inquiry. The qualitative and quantitative evidences sourced therefrom maybe of helped in understanding present realities. This “illustrates the impetus given to and the limitations placed upon discovery and invention by pastoral, agricultural, feudal, capitalist, and socialist systems, and conversely the ways in which science has altered economic, social, and political beliefs and practices (Bernal, 1971, p. 1).” Researcher argued that the “disputed field in history and social sciences have certain social and political tendencies of our times (Bernal, 1971, p. 1). Effective information and knowledge management is one of the fountains in generating competitive leveraging because it can out-space competitors and recreate value for everyone. It also accord scientific and empirical approach in managing control and creative collaboration in developing new paradigm. Experts opined that knowledge management, which include appreciation of history’s contribution to societal development, is a harbinger of a new corporate era which inspire business transparency and broader application of information technology for human capital development. It provides an opportunity to introduce best practices and organizational transformation to deliver significant contribution for result-based corporate achievement or governance. Strategic use of historical data contributes to business performance and makes us appreciate the evolution of technology that helped civilization attained coherence of strategies for interactive experience. Unlike before, people now could use information technology to bolsters the capacity of human minds to recreate tact knowledge and convert them into transformational action through socialization or interactive processes. Such permeate inclusiveness and transcendentalism in business relations and even within the system of governance. These knowledge-based structures, approaches and activities are still within the standards to develop strategic forum where people’s insights and views on history and present realities are shared, collated and transformed into a knowledge capital that paved for long-term direction and of workable milestones and measures. Thus, the importance of history correlates to the essentials of human science too. Even human thought has pattern s of history and it mostly relates to some disciplines -- physics, psychology, religion, social sciences, math, astrobiology, natural sciences, laws, and even on agriculture or physical development. Not these disciplines compel us to rethink about difficult and fundamental questions; it also encouraged us to exhaust our analytical skills to come up with comparative and breadth of understanding of the information of the past and what made us today. The past therefore is an extension of our beings. It’s an enriched source of truths motivating scholars to participate in creative dialogue, inquiry, and reflection to rediscover transformational models and new theories from the leaves of the past. These helped improved peoples crafts and views to make them more result- oriented and more interested on the multidimensional concerns on civilization, poverty, quality education, conflicts and war, human rights violations, and social equity. History teaches. It shows alarm buttons and limits us too in pursuing those that have accorded negative outcomes. Those who have appreciated history are more careful and responsible in their choices and the wisdom enjoyed from the studies of historical accounts recreate value from the ideation of authors and the empirical facts cited therefrom. Hence, it situates us in a positive tract and draw interest to become pro-active stakeholders of sustainable development that are focused on removing the vestiges of poverty, illiteracy, social disparities, and ecological-related problems. History and human sciences therefore plays a crucial role in nurturing values and principle-centered human behaviors to make them authentically live lives in a deeply meaningful and value-centered way. References Edmund Husserl, Logical Investigations, (London: Routledge, 1973). Flew, A. David Hume: Philosopher of Moral Science, (Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1986). Popper, Karl, Logic of Scientific Discovery, (Routledge, 2002). Presnell, Jenny L. The Information-Literate Historian: A Guide to Research for History Students (2006). Shigeru Akita, "World History and the Emergence of Global History in Japan,"Chinese Studies in History, Spring 2010. Bruno Coppieters & Michel Huysseune (eds.), Secession, History and the Social Sciences, VUB Brussels University Press, 2002. George Schopflin, The Functions of Myths and a Taxonomy of Myths, in Geoffrey Hosking and George Schopflin (eds), Myths and Nationhood, London, Hurst & Company, 1997, pp. 19-35. Thomas Bender, Comparative Historical Analysis in the Social Sciences (review), Journal of Social History 39.4 (2006) 1187-1189. J. D. Bernal, Science in History, Volume 4: The Social Sciences: A Conclusion, MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, 1971, edition 1, vol. 1. Read More