Question: What is the value of historical perspective? Niall Ferguson: Historical study differs from many other things. It differs from the whole realm of the other subjects for two reasons. First, people who study history do not engage in model building. We are not trying to reduce the world of human beings into some kind of mathematical formula. Historians live and breathe the complexity of the past. There’s only one human history and we can’t rerun it in a laboratory, so we can’t be engaged in a scientific endeavor. The second thing that history does is that it encourages that minority of human beings who are alive, I think it’s only 7% of human beings who ever lived who are alive right now, to understand what the other 93% experienced in their time. So, historians build a bridge backwards through the time, and at the heart of our activity is the imagination. One has to imagine what it was to be in another time, in another place. That active imagination is at the heart of the historical process. R.G. Collingwood said, “We are engaged in reconstructing past thought on the basis of those remnants that other civilizations leave behind; the letters, the documents.” That’s really what history is. What are 2 ways that the study of history is different from other subjects? What must a person who studies history be able to do? Paragraph Title __________________ __________________ __________________ Paragraph Title __________________ __________________ Why we Study History Page 1

So, this combination of understanding complexity and reimagining past life seems to me to be a valuable collection of skills. More dependable in my view than other subjects, for understanding the possible different futures. In my view there is no such thing as one future. There are multiple futures, and we all collectively get to choose, or at least we try to choose our future. It’s the combination of different individuals and nations decisions that creates the one future that actually happens. I have become convinced with every passing year, that as a student of history, I’m in a stronger position to imagine the different plausible futures than somebody who is trained in another subject. At least some of which has happened to the people in the past gives me more scenarios to draw from. Trying to think about the future requires you to think by using analogies. If all you have to use is your own lifetime experience plus some formula, I think you will likely to get it wrong. When you have a historical understanding of the past, you are going to be better at visualizing the possible futures than others. I think this is an extremely powerful reason for the study of history. I believe it is essential for all people who want to be good citizens, good decision-makers, and good scenario- builders. What does the author believe is a valuable collection of skills? What determines our actual future? Why is a student of history better at seeing the future? What are two reasons for the study of history? Paragraph Title _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ Paragraph Title _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ Why we study History Page 2

3 1.What are 2 ways that the study of History is different from other subjects? First history is not a science which can be tested. Second history requires people to understand what the other people from the past experienced in their time 2. What must a person who studies history be able to do? A person must imagine what it was like to be in another time and in another place 3. What does the author believe is a valuable collection of skills? The combination of understanding complexity and reimagining past life seems to me to be a valuable collection of skills. 4. What determines our actual future? The combination of different nations and peoples decisions is what produces the one future that actually happens 5. Why is a student of history better at seeing the future? When you have a historical understanding of the past, you are going to be better at visualizing the different possible scenarios for the future. 6. What are some reasons for the study of history? It produces people who are good citizens, good decision- makers, good scenario-builders and makes us better at visualizing the future