Philippine History: An Introduction

Introduction to Philippine History

• Presented by Russel Philip B. Nuestro from the Faculty, Foreign Service & Social Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Education, Lyceum of the Philippines University Cavite.
• The presentation covers the meaning of history, its definition and subject matter, and relevant issues and questions.

Meaning of History

• History is the study of the past.
• The term history comes from the Greek word historia, which means knowledge acquired through inquiry or investigation.
• As a discipline, history has existed for about 2,400 years and is as old as mathematics and philosophy.
• The term history was adapted into classical Latin, acquiring a new definition. Historia became known as the account of the past of a person or group of people through written documents and historical evidence.
• History relates to everything that happened in the past and a type of research or inquiry.
• History is primarily concerned with human activities in the past and can be broken down into three dimensions.

Three Dimensions of History

• History focuses on human activities, which is unique from fields like theology that focus on the divine.
• History aligns with sciences, especially social sciences, as a field of inquiry.
• History concerns itself with the past.

Issues and Questions

• Positivism is an essential philosophy for the scientific method and created the mantra of "no document, no history" in history.
• Positivism also has set of limitations despite its importance in the field.
• Historians started using other kinds of historical sources, which may not be in written format but were just as valid, after historians uncovered the limitations of Positivism.
• Examples include oral traditions like epics and songs, artifacts, architecture, and memory.
• History's nature and meaning have evolved over long periods.
• Professional historians argued that studying history should be academic and objective due to the rise of positivist philosophy.
• Historical writing is always influenced by the historian's present context.
• States and governments use history to unite a nation and legitimize regimes by forging a sense of collective identity through the manufacture of social memory.
• History helps humanity acquire self-knowledge.

Summary

• History is the study of human activities in the past, defining it as a unique discipline.
• The essence and characteristics of history evolved from ancient times to the present.
• History relies on different sources as a scientific discipline.
• Issues surround the meaning, function, method, and use of history as a discipline.

Explore the meaning of history with Russel Philip B. Nuestro from Lyceum of the Philippines University. This presentation delves into the definition, subject matter, and relevant questions surrounding the study of the past. Discover how 'historia' evolved from Greek origins to a formal discipline.