At all times, people were extremely inquisitive. They wanted to know what awaited them and what came before them. Interest in the secrets of bygone ages provoked their curiosity more and more. Excitement led to the fact that people created one of the greatest sciences in the entire period of human existence - history. It is impossible to imagine what kind of event or fact prompted people to create such a brainchild, nevertheless, historical science is the oldest of all. Its origins stretch from the time of ancient Greece and Rome, when writing, political order, literature and art were only in their infancy. As humanity itself evolved, history developed, so today we have been given a unique opportunity to look through the prism of time at those events and people who once lived and did great things. Also striking is the connection of historical science with other popular and important disciplines of our time, for example, politics, philosophy and economics. A similar feature shows the versatility and indispensability of history as a fundamental science. Everyone dreams of knowing everything in the world, because knowledge is the most formidable weapon. Therefore, history is intended to study the past in order to better understand the present and to foresee the future.
Is history a science or something more?
According to many scholars, modern history originated in 484 BC.
It was in that year that the famous Herodotus of Halicarnassus was born, who is rightly called the "father of history." Most of his historical works allowed to see the life and orders of ancient Greece, Scythia, Persia and other countries.
This person is the author of the famous treatise entitled "History". For domestic science, the works of Herodotus were like a bible. Most of the ancient tribes described by scientists lived in the territory of modern Russia and Ukraine.
The term itself comes from the Greek language. "History" in translation means "research" or a science that studies the life and life of a person in the past. A narrower definition represents history as a science that studies historical events and facts for their objective description, study, and also with the aim of establishing the sequence of the entire historical process.
The appearance of Herodotus and other scholars working later influenced the process of becoming history itself. From this moment, one can distinguish the main stages of the development of historical knowledge, which over the years has developed and is increasingly filled with new terms and concepts. Today, these stages are the basis in the process of studying historical science.
Stages of development of historical science
History has always evolved in cycles. The process of its evolution has never been presented as a sequence. The inconstancy of man himself brought great changes to science itself, thereby developing it. Almost all stages of the development of historical knowledge have many features. These unique facts characterize each stage in its own way. There are four main stages, namely:
- Antique historical science.
- Medieval historical science.
- Historical science of the New time.
- Historical science of the XX century.
Stage Characterization
It has already been pointed out earlier that the stages in the development of historical knowledge have their own characteristic features. Each of them has one or another aspect that distinguishes a stage from an array of others.
1) The history of the ancient world was fundamental, since all subsequent interpretations of this science came from the original version. The following features are characteristic of this stage: a creative approach to science, historical events were described together with the geography and economy of the location, there was no scientific form of narration, and science was not differentiated into disciplines.
2) The Middle Ages brought into history some aspects that previously did not exist. For example, already in the 17th century a general picture of world history was formed. A unified calendar system was also established, and interest in the past progressed.
3) New time is a century of development of science and technology. This stage brought to history a fundamentally new approach to the study process. The principles of objectivity, historicism and a critical analysis of historical sources dominated science.
4) Even with all the innovations, the stages of the development of historical knowledge did not have such an explosive effect as in the 20th century. At this time, history turned into the foundation of politics, sociology, social psychology, etc. Science was actively used by political figures of those times for the sake of propaganda. The development of the stage was also affected by the collapse of the colonial empires. Many unknown states were able to join the world community and give everyone their culture.
History as a primary and secondary science
Earlier, the fact of the versatility and functionality of history as a science was noted . Such a judgment is proved by the fact that this science can be regarded as primary and secondary. The main history gives the world not only classical knowledge of the past, but also makes a great contribution to other sciences, such as philosophy and politics. However, history can be used as a context in which the main stages of the formation of a completely different science will be considered. For example, the main historical stages in the development of environmental knowledge have developed over many years. Each of them survived a certain time frame of different eras. From here we can talk about the history of these stages.
History and Politics
The ability to manage the state arose a long time ago. To learn this craft, many generals, scientists, or simply prosperous citizens of any country have studied for years. This skill is called politics. It can be compared with art, because for the successful management of all state processes, a person needs a little more than just talent. A politician is a sculptor whose clay is the state and its inner life. This science appeared and developed in parallel with history. The political system of Greece, in which politics arose, contributed to its development. The main stages in the development of political knowledge in history are connected with the process of the formation of historical science. This is due to the fact that the historical process actually generated politics. Many venerable politicians used their historical knowledge to manipulate the consciousness of the masses. But that is another topic.
The main historical stages of the development of philosophical knowledge
History and philosophy have almost always been inextricably linked with each other. These sciences supplemented and developed themselves. History allows you to look at how the world was in the past, and philosophy shows the spiritual, identical essence of the past and man.
The parallel development of these sciences has brought the world a completely new branch of knowledge - the history of philosophy. It allows you to look at how philosophy has developed taking into account the historical events that accompany this development. Large periods have the formation essence of socio-economic relations.
At its core, history and philosophy are related sciences. The difference is only in the way of the worldview of representatives of these sciences. If historians are only interested in chronology and other aspects of the life of a person of the past, then philosophers consider the spiritual perception of the world around them. But the stages of development of historical knowledge help to identify the periods of formation and development of philosophy. To date, the following stages in philosophy are distinguished:
- The philosophy is antique.
- Feudal philosophy.
- Bourgeois-formation philosophy.
- Modern science philosophy.
The law of three stages
History not only gave, but also received certain benefits from the process of joint development with philosophy. Back in 1830, a theory was put forward that later became law. She has determined her time in many aspects. Its author, Auguste Comte, called the theory "The Law of the Three Stages of the Historical Development of Knowledge."
He suggested that any knowledge and information goes through three main stages in the process of implementation in the human mind. These three theoretical stages were identified using the study of human consciousness. Through the law, all stages of the development of historical science can be explained and studied in detail.
Description of the stages of the “Law of Three Stages”
Each stage has its purpose. There are only three stages: theological, metaphysical, positive. The features of each are determined by the functions that it performs.
1) The theological stage allows you to determine to get primitive knowledge about something. In this case, the human mind is in a state of infant. All external processes are explained by analogy with their own actions.
2) The metaphysical stage is a “transshipment point”. At this stage, the mind seeks absolute knowledge. The difference from the first stage is only that a person is capable of abstract thinking, and not a banal comparison.
3) The positive stage is the peak of the evolution of thinking. In the context of this stage, knowledge is introduced into a specific industry. According to Comte, this stage is the most serious, because it shows the process of evolution of a certain knowledge in the human mind.
Thanks to this theory, the stages in the development of historical science are filled with facts and events, and they are also studied much more thoroughly. The "law" clearly shows the process of progressive development of history as a science.
History now
So, the article examined the origin and main stages of development of historical knowledge, as well as related sciences.
In the modern world, history plays an important role. It is a fundamental science in the learning process. In addition, scientists enrich science with new knowledge by using the latest technologies and techniques.