history does not just narrate a sequence of past events. the practice of history examines change over time and tries to understand the forces that contributed to those changes. historians are most interested in questions that begin by asking ‘why’ or ‘how.’ these questions demand complex answers about who humans are, how society has come to where it is, and what forces have shaped humanity through time.

in a culture that places primary value only on living in the present, studying history can offer a rare foundation for critiquing or at least comprehending the current state of the world.