Why Study History?

In today’s episode, we look at the value of studying history as a subject in and of itself. Today, many people criticize history as an academic enterprise on several fronts: one, whether or not history is useful to study at all and two, if we study history, we tend to focus on certain monumental figures to the neglect of other voices within the historical narrative. To that end, what people, places, and voices in history should we focus on in studying history? What are the principles upon which we should study history? What is the goal of studying history, and how might the study of history contribute to positive character development and human flourishing? In this episode, we examine these questions and solicit answers from a wide array of opinions from teachers and educators on the content, purpose, and value of studying history, including Wilfred McClay, an intellectual historian at Hillsdale College, Leah Klein, the Chair of the History Department at Thales Apex, Clifford Humphrey, Director of Admissions at Thales College, Terry Stoops, Director for the Center for Effective Education at the John Locke Foundation, and Bob Luddy, the founder of Thales Academy. For further reading, please check out: Shannon Watkins, “Reinvigorating the Teaching of American History”: https://www.jamesgmartin.center/2020/02/reinvigorating-the-teaching-of-american-history/ Wilfred McClay’s “Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story": https://www.encounterbooks.com/books/land-of-hope-paperback/ Robert Strassler’s “The Landmark Herodotus,” and “The History of the Peloponnesian War,” DCT Survey Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/1MQ69P9i_EGLA6vIY7v2PH9HSDkZ38RW59xqTUJtRDkY/edit?usp=forms_home&ths=true