an online book by David Gurteen
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyzes and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categorize history as a social science, while others see it as part of the humanities or consider it a hybrid discipline. Similar debates surround the purpose of history—for example, whether its main aim is theoretical, to uncover the truth, or practical, to learn lessons from the past. In a more general sense, the term history refers not to an academic field but to the past itself, times in the past, or to individual texts about the past.
Historical research relies on primary and secondary sources to reconstruct past events and validate interpretations. Source criticism is used to evaluate these sources, assessing their authenticity, content, and reliability. Historians integrate the perspectives of several individual sources to develop a coherent narrative. Different schools of thought, such as positivism, the Annales school, Marxism, and postmodernism, have distinct methodological approaches.
History is a broad discipline encompassing many branches. Some focus on specific time periods, such as ancient history, while others concentrate on particular geographic regions, such as the history of Africa. Thematic categorizations include political history, military history, social history, and economic history. Branches associated with specific research methods and sources include quantitative history, comparative history, and oral history.
History emerged as a field of inquiry in antiquity to replace myth-infused narratives, with influential early traditions originating in Greece, China, and later in the Islamic world. Historical writing evolved throughout the ages and became increasingly professional, particularly during the 19th century, when a rigorous methodology and various academic institutions were established. History is related to many fields, including historiography, philosophy, education, and politics.
Credit: Wikipedia - historyGurteen Knowledge Blog June 25, 2023, 10:53Recently, Hank Kune introduced me to the fascinating concept of orality, which has had a profound impact on human communication. It made me question why I hadn’t discovered it earlier, given its significant influence on our cultural heritage. As I delved deeper into the subject, I was reminded that for … Continue reading Orality The foundation of human storytelling
AustraliaAustriaBrazilCanadaChinaCzech RepublicEgyptFranceGermanyGlobalIndiaItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPolandSaudia ArabiaSingaporeSpainTurkeyUAEUnited KingdomUnited States As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission when you purchase a book via this site. Posts where this book is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history Actor-network Theory (ANT) Actor-Network Theory Avoiding Modern-day Colonialism Colonialism: the dominance, control, and exploitation by one group over … Continue reading Strategy: A History by Lawrence Freedman (2013)
In The Concept of Conversation, David Randall argues that conversation, often overlooked in history, profoundly shaped early modern Europe. He reveals how it transformed from elite philosophical discourse to encompass friendship, salons, the press, and even women’s voices. Challenging Habermas’s view, Randall sees conversation, not just rational public debate, as central to intellectual progress, with … Continue reading The Concept of Conversation: From Cicero’s Sermo to the Grand Siecle’s Conversation David Randall (2019)
In this book, Sapiens, Professor Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical — and sometimes devastating — breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural, and Scientific Revolutions. Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, paleontology, and economics, and incorporating full-color illustrations throughout the text, … Continue reading Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Yuval Noah Harari (2015)
In this book, Homo Deus, Professor Yuval Noah Harari examines where humankind might be headed. AustraliaAustriaBrazilCanadaChinaCzech RepublicEgyptFranceGermanyGlobalIndiaItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPolandSaudia ArabiaSingaporeSpainTurkeyUAEUnited KingdomUnited States As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission when you purchase a book via this site. Posts where this book is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history Actor-network Theory … Continue reading Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow Yuval Noah Harari (2017)
Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is also the bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. With Itzik Yahav, he is the co-founder of Sapienship, whose mission is to clarify … Continue reading Yuval Noah Harari Historian and a professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The premise of this book, The Fourth Economy by Ron Davison, is that a fourth entrepreneurial economy is emerging. This will be as different from the information economy as the industrial economy before it. Last century we popularized knowledge work, transforming from an industrial economy dependent on child labor to an information economy dependent on … Continue reading The Fourth Economy: Inventing Western Civilization by Ron Davison (2011)
Gurteen Knowledge Blog May 2, 2022, 16:30In the history of knowledge, the refinement of the printing press in Germany by Gutenberg in 1436 had a massive impact on the world. Not only did it help lead to the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment but also the Protestant Reformation that, in turn, led to the Thirty Years’ War, … Continue reading Event: Is This Our Gutenberg Moment? Conversational Leadership Café
In the book God: A Human History by Reza Aslan, readers are taken on a captivating and ambitious exploration of how humanity has envisioned and understood the concept of God throughout history. Aslan delves into the deep-rooted human tendency to anthropomorphize the divine, demonstrating how people have projected their own characteristics, emotions, desires, and even flaws … Continue reading God: A Human History of Religion by Reza Aslan (2018)
AustraliaAustriaBrazilCanadaChinaCzech RepublicEgyptFranceGermanyGlobalIndiaItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPolandSaudia ArabiaSingaporeSpainTurkeyUAEUnited KingdomUnited States As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission when you purchase a book via this site. Posts where this book is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history Actor-network Theory (ANT) Actor-Network Theory Avoiding Modern-day Colonialism Colonialism: the dominance, control, and exploitation by one group over … Continue reading The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow (2022)
History isn’t the study of the past; it is the study of change. History teaches us what remains the same, what changes, and how things change. Credit: Yuval Noah Harari Source: Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks From the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari (2024)People: Yuval Noah HarariYuval Noah Harari Historian … Continue reading History Isn’t the Study of the Past Yuval Noah Harari
AustraliaAustriaBrazilCanadaChinaCzech RepublicEgyptFranceGermanyGlobalIndiaItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPolandSaudia ArabiaSingaporeSpainTurkeyUAEUnited KingdomUnited States As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission when you purchase a book via this site. Posts where this book is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history Actor-network Theory (ANT) Actor-Network Theory Avoiding Modern-day Colonialism Colonialism: the dominance, control, and exploitation by one group over … Continue reading Guns Germs and Steel: A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years by Jared Diamond by Jared Diamond (1998)
Gurteen Knowledge Blog October 2, 2022, 14:06I have been developing and writing about the concept of Conversational Leadership since early 2014, but the term has been in use since at least 1985. In this post, in my blook, I attempt to trace its history. Knowledge Letter: Issue: 270 (Subscribe)Tags: conversational leadership (47) | history (26)RSS: Blog … Continue reading History of Conversational Leadership 1985 to today
In the book Conversation: A History of a Declining Art, Stephen Miller pursues a lifelong interest in conversation by taking a historical and philosophical view of the subject. He chronicles the art of conversation in Western civilization from its beginnings in ancient Greece to its apex in eighteenth-century Britain to its current endangered state in … Continue reading Conversation: A History of a Declining Art Stephen Miller (2007)
As civilized human beings, we are the inheritors, neither of an inquiry about ourselves and the world, nor of an accumulating body of information, but of a conversation, begun in the primeval forests and extended and made more articulate in the course of centuries. It is a conversation which goes on both in public and … Continue reading A Conversation Begun in the Primeval Forests Michael Oakeshott
Gurteen Knowledge Blog February 6, 2023, 16:20One of my interests is history, and another is the future. However, these interests are probably not quite what you would think. My first interest is what is referred to as Big History. This type of history is focused on things other than the events of kings and queens, empires, … Continue reading Big History and Big Future What is humanity’s direction?
Conclusion: Two Worlds A Brief History of Knowledge Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Human history is the story of two worlds—the natural world in which we evolved and the complex, interconnected world we now inhabit. This … Continue reading Introduction: Two Worlds From evolution to entanglement
Introduction: Two Worlds Knowledge Revolutions Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Human knowledge has evolved over millennia, shaping our societies and cultures. However, we often overlook the broad historical context of how knowledge developed. Understanding the history … Continue reading A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history
Two Realms of Intellectual Discourse ** History of Conversation Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close We often take conversation for granted, treating it as an effortless, natural part of daily life. Yet, conversation as we know it … Continue reading Introduction: History and Philosophy of Conversation The art of conversation has evolved over thousands of years
Introduction: History and Philosophy of Conversation Philosophy of Conversation Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close The history of conversation spans the evolution of human communication from prehistoric times to the digital age. As methods of communication advanced … Continue reading History of Conversation The changing face of conversation through the ages
History of Conversation Etymology of Conversation Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close The philosophy of conversation investigates the intricate dynamics of human interaction by exploring how we exchange ideas, share experiences, and build relationships through dialogue. By … Continue reading Philosophy of Conversation Conversation is fundamental to the human experience
Philosophy of Conversation The Origin of Language ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Words can reveal insights into the history and evolution of language. The word “conversation” has significantly changed its meaning and usage over time. … Continue reading Etymology of Conversation A history of the word “conversation”
The Origin of Language ** Conversation in Ancient Greek Society ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close The origins of conversation stretch back long before recorded history, evident in oral traditions, myths and records of ancient cultures … Continue reading The Emergence of Conversation in Early Cultures ** Conversation stretches far back into prehistory
Analyze Logical Fallacies Summarize Conflicting Perspectives Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Historical and Contextual Analysis: Ask the chatbot to provide historical context or background on an issue. By understanding the history and context, we can gain … Continue reading Historical and Contextual Analysis Use the chatbot to provide historical context or background on an issue
Conversational Leadership Framework ** Introduction: Conversational Leadership Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Conversational Leadership is a relatively young, rapidly evolving discipline. Although much has been written about the power of conversation over the years, I am … Continue reading The History of Conversational Leadership 1985 to today
