It's Not About Memorization - How to Study History

Summary

In this episode of the Quirk Inquiry, the host emphasizes the significance of studying history as the backbone of all human endeavors. They critique the traditional educational focus on memorization over understanding and propose a new approach to studying history. This involves initially gaining a holistic view of historical events before delving into specifics, akin to reading a novel. The host suggests pre-reading history textbooks to establish a structural framework, which facilitates easier memorization and understanding during lectures, ultimately fostering a genuine interest in history.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker emphasizes the importance of studying history as it provides context and understanding to other fields of study such as literature, science, and philosophy.
• 🌟 History is not just a collection of facts but a narrative that helps us comprehend the evolution of human thought and actions over time.
• 🧠 The speaker suggests that historical studies should focus on understanding and interpretation rather than mere memorization of dates and events.
• 🔍 To truly grasp history, one should look for the underlying trends and motivations behind events, not just the specific details.
• 📈 The speaker advocates for a holistic approach to studying history, starting with a broad overview before diving into specific facts and details.
• 📖 Reading history textbooks should be approached like reading a novel, focusing on the narrative and structure first, rather than on individual facts.
• 🤔 Critical thinking is essential when studying history; one should question the significance of events and not just regurgitate facts.
• 📝 The conventional educational approach to history, which focuses heavily on memorization, is critiqued as it can lead to a scattered and incohesive understanding of historical events.
• 🛠️ The speaker proposes a method of studying history that involves pre-reading to get a general sense of the narrative before engaging with the details in class.
• 🌱 The video serves as a call to action for viewers to rethink their approach to history, aiming for a deeper and more meaningful connection with the past.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the video 'Quirkly Inquiry' episode discussed in the transcript?

The main theme of the video is the importance of studying history in a holistic and contextual manner, emphasizing the interconnectedness of history with other fields of study such as literature, science, philosophy, and poetry.

Why does the speaker believe history is crucial for understanding other fields of study?

The speaker believes history is crucial because it provides the context and backbone that connects and influences literature, science, philosophy, and other fields, showing how ideas and concepts have evolved over time.

What is the speaker's critique of the traditional approach to studying history in schools?

The speaker criticizes the traditional approach for its heavy emphasis on memorization of specific facts, dates, and concepts, rather than fostering a deep understanding and application of historical events and their significance.

How does the speaker suggest one should approach studying history to avoid a scattered collection of facts?

The speaker suggests gaining a holistic view of the entire historical period first, laying out the backbone or the general trend line, before attaching specific facts and details to it, similar to constructing a skeleton before adding organs and finer details.

What is the analogy the speaker uses to explain the proper way to study history?

The speaker uses the analogy of Dr. Frankenstein building Prometheus, emphasizing the importance of starting with the skeleton (the backbone of history) before attaching the organs and finer details (specific historical facts).

What is the speaker's recommendation for the initial reading of a history textbook?

The speaker recommends reading a history textbook like a novel during the first pass, focusing on grasping the general trend and structure without getting bogged down in details or taking notes.

Why is pre-reading important according to the speaker?

Pre-reading is important because it allows one to lay out a general understanding of the historical period, making it easier to attach specific details during lectures and subsequent study, enhancing comprehension and retention.

What is the speaker's view on the significance of dates and specific events in historical studies?

While acknowledging the benefits of memorization, the speaker views dates and specific events as less important than understanding the general trends, motivations, and contexts that shape historical periods.

How does the speaker propose to improve the study of history to make it more meaningful and cohesive?

The speaker proposes to improve the study of history by focusing on gaining a holistic view first, understanding the general progression and significance of events, and then attaching specific facts to this broader understanding.

What is the main takeaway from the speaker's discussion on the study of history?

The main takeaway is that to truly understand and appreciate history, one should focus on the broader context and significance of events rather than just memorizing dates and facts, which can lead to a more cohesive and meaningful study of the past.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Importance of Historical Context

The speaker introduces the topic of history, emphasizing its significance as the backbone of various fields of study. They express their fascination with history and how it connects literature, science, philosophy, and poetry. The speaker argues that historical context is crucial for understanding these fields and provides meaning to human endeavors on Earth. They also discuss the importance of studying history correctly, not just as a collection of dates and events, but as a cohesive narrative that gives context to our understanding of the world.

05:00

🤔 Beyond Memorization: Understanding History

The speaker critiques the common educational approach to studying history, which focuses on memorization rather than understanding. They argue that this method leads to a disjointed view of history, where students can recall facts but lack critical thinking about the significance of events. The speaker suggests that students should first grasp the general trends and motivations behind historical events before delving into specific details. This approach, they argue, will lead to a more cohesive understanding of history and a genuine interest in the subject.

10:02

📖 Reading History Like a Novel: A New Approach

The speaker proposes a new method for studying history, suggesting that students should initially read history textbooks like novels to gain a broad understanding of the narrative. They recommend pre-reading chapters without taking detailed notes, focusing instead on identifying the general progression and structure of events. Once this 'backbone' is established, students can then attend lectures and fill in the details, which will be easier to memorize and understand within the context of the broader historical narrative. This approach is likened to constructing a creature like Frankenstein's Prometheus, where the skeleton is built before attaching the finer details.

Keywords

💡History

History refers to the study of past events, especially in human affairs. In the video, history is portrayed as the backbone and context for various fields such as literature, philosophy, and science. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding historical context to appreciate these other fields of study. The video argues that history is not just a collection of events but a way to understand broader trends and ideas.

💡Memorization

Memorization is the process of committing information to memory, often through repetition. The speaker criticizes the heavy emphasis on memorization in the traditional study of history, particularly in schools. They argue that memorization of dates and facts without understanding the larger historical context results in a disjointed and shallow understanding of history, where students may recall facts but fail to grasp their significance.

💡Historical Context

Historical context refers to the social, political, cultural, and economic circumstances that surround a particular event or period. The speaker stresses that understanding the historical context is essential to comprehending the significance of events, philosophies, and scientific developments. Without this context, history becomes a collection of random facts rather than a coherent narrative that explains human progress and decisions.

💡Cohesion

Cohesion refers to the logical connection and unity among different parts of a subject. In the context of the video, cohesion is crucial for developing a proper understanding of history. The speaker warns that if history is studied by focusing only on random facts, there is no cohesion, and the learner fails to see the bigger picture. A cohesive approach helps connect events, ideas, and people in a meaningful way.

💡Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the process of actively analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information. The speaker highlights the need for critical thinking when studying history, rather than relying solely on memorization. Critical thinking enables individuals to interpret historical events, understand their causes, and assess their significance, rather than just recalling facts. The video encourages students to think critically about historical trends and their implications.

💡Backbone

In the video, 'backbone' metaphorically refers to the essential framework or structure that supports a deeper understanding of history. The speaker advocates for first gaining a holistic view of history—a backbone—before delving into specific details or facts. This foundational understanding makes it easier to attach specific events and facts later, giving them context and significance.

💡Pre-reading

Pre-reading is the practice of reading a text briefly before fully studying it. The speaker recommends pre-reading history textbooks like novels, without worrying about details at first. This helps in developing a general understanding of the material, which can then be supplemented with specific facts and details later. Pre-reading is seen as a critical step in constructing the backbone of historical knowledge.

💡Trend Line

A trend line in the context of the video refers to the overarching progression of historical events over time. The speaker encourages students to focus on understanding these trend lines, which represent the flow of human actions and ideas throughout history. Once the general trends are understood, students can more effectively place specific events and details within this broader framework.

💡Structuralist Definition

The structuralist definition of history, as referenced in the video, refers to viewing history in terms of underlying structures and patterns rather than isolated events. The speaker mentions that history should be understood as a general progression of trends and patterns, rather than as a random collection of facts. This approach allows learners to grasp the broader significance of historical events and movements.

💡Application

Application refers to the process of using knowledge in practical or meaningful ways. The speaker argues that students should focus more on applying their understanding of historical facts and contexts, rather than merely memorizing them. By applying historical knowledge, students can critically analyze events, draw connections, and better understand the significance of what they are studying. This contrasts with the traditional educational focus on rote memorization.

Highlights

Emphasizing the importance of history as the context and backbone of various fields of study.

History is not just a collection of events but a product of historical contexts.

Studying history is crucial for understanding the human purpose and meaning on earth.

The challenge of interpreting historical events and making sense of their significance.

The common educational approach that focuses on memorization over application.

The importance of understanding the general progression of history rather than memorizing specific details.

The problem with the conventional approach to history that leads to scattered events and lack of cohesion.

The need for a holistic view of history before delving into specific facts.

The analogy of building a structure like Prometheus from the ground up without a skeleton.

The practical approach to reading history textbooks like a novel for the first read-through.

The benefits of pre-reading history textbooks to gain a general trend line before class.

How to construct notes effectively after gaining a holistic understanding of the historical context.

The significance of the 'backbone' approach in history learning for better retention and understanding.

The speaker's personal invitation to correct the paradigm of viewing history and to introduce a new way of studying it.

The contrast between memorizing random facts and understanding the broader historical narrative.

The speaker's critique of the educational system's emphasis on memorization at the expense of critical thinking.

The advice on how to approach historical analysis tasks with a solid understanding of the historical context.

Transcripts

hello and welcome back to yet another

episode of the quirky inquiry it's a new

beginning of a new year so we're gonna

begin this year by talking about a topic

that I'd never ever touched upon before

so I've been meaning to make a video

about history for a long long time now

because history is one of the areas of

study that really fascinates me not just

because its history but history really

is the context and the backbone of all

the other things that have interested

I'm interested in literature interested

in Oh science interested in philosophy

and interesting poetry all that kind of

stuff they all are connected together by

the sort of historical context and by

the sort of historical backbone

so whatever literature whatever poetry

on whatever philosophy that you read

there are not inventions that comes out

of a vat in an empty vacuum they're not

just the brain sitting in the vat and

then I think therefore I am

they cards sitting in his room alone

they didn't come in isolation it's not

invented out of a vacuum as rationalists

would like to assume but instead it is

really history is a product or rather

the fields of studies that we coming to

contact today are all products of

historical contexts philosophers dealt

with different problems in the past to a

specific history historical contexts

scientific theories are invented in

response to a certain paradigm of

viewing the world and an ideas changed

throughout time the definition of

madness have morphed dramatically

throughout the centuries which is the

title of the book math and civilization

by Michel Foucault which have been

reading for the past week or so so

nevertheless that is the importance of

studying history because it is what

brings everything together and it is

what gives context to every other fields

of studies out there so studying history

comes in to supreme importance if you

care about being a renaissance person if

you care about understanding what are

human beings doing here on earth and

then what is our purpose what is the

meaning of all this if you want to truly

understand that history is the way to go

down but the prom' here comes how do you

probably study history

how do you probably interpret historical

events how do you relate the events to

the significance of the events and how

do you make sense of it all because if

you miss read history if you read

history in a very shoddy fashion what's

gonna start to happen is that all you're

gonna have is a bunch of scattered

events in your brain you can recall

dates you can recall events you can know

what exactly happened but there's no

real cohesion happening history for you

if you study it in a wrong way are just

gonna be a collection of scattered

events collection of quotes collection

of people and collection of people's

ideas there's no real cohesion that

gives you this ah the sense of odd that

it gives you there's no real passion or

Rijn or genuine interest if you approach

history in the wrong manner so in this

video let me correct that paradigm of

viewing history let me introduce a new

way of doing history that's gonna

drastically increase two things increase

your level of accurate understanding of

history your level of interpretation and

also increase your interest in this area

of study because history is sort of a

lengthy journey and to study history

state is to investing a lot of time and

then the amount of reading that you have

to do it's truly paramount there's a lot

of reading that you have to do to make

sense of history okay so it's gonna

increase two things your interesting

history and also the righteous accurate

understanding there's a bad habit if

we've picked up from school and this is

the bad habit that I sort of disagree

with or this is the sort of doing things

that I disagree with within the

educational system which is that there's

a heavy emphasis on memorization instead

of application let me repeat that

there's a heavy emphasis on memorization

instead of application of specific facts

specific dates and specific concepts

throughout history so when a history

student when history student cracks open

a history textbook for example at the

American Revolution history textbook

when they crack open that book there's

this knee-jerk reaction for students to

memorize things to knee-jerk Lee focus

on every little detail as possible to

capture every

detail as possible to try to attempt to

memorize all these technical details to

try to really dig deep into the dates

when exactly did something happen who

was involved in it and who wrote this

thing that came to contribute to what

influence so there's a knee-jerk ration

for people when they approach historical

studies to find this memorization to be

the supreme importance to put

memorization above understanding so

therefore you have people constructing

all sorts of fancy flashcards you have

people summarizing notes as they're

reading you have people highlighting

every aspects of the history textbook

but at the end of the study you ask him

Oh what is the significance of XYZ all

that they can do is to regurgitate the

facts without actually offering any

critical thinking behind that history so

that's the knee-jerk reaction that we've

been there only toe that's the way to do

things and that's the knee-jerk reaction

that we all have when we do subjects

such as literature when we do subjects

such as philosophy or such as history at

school now there's benefits to

memorization but let's not put the horse

I mean let's not put the card in front

of a horse here there's a different

orders of magnitude to memorization but

we shouldn't get the order wrong ask

yourself why are you studying history in

the first place are you now studying

history because you want to know the

general progression of history at least

based on a structuralist definition you

are spotting a general trend of what is

happening throughout time you're

outlining what the humans are doing

through that specific era of time for

example the the American Revolution why

did it come to the land and why is it

the case that they start to rebel

against the British you want to note

that general trend line and you want to

understand the motives the motivations

and all sorts of historical packages

that comes with this sort of

revolutionary sentiment you want to

understand that that's the core thing

that you need to understand so now what

most people do is that they put the card

in front of a horse when they study

history they worry about

Oh some guy died died of a lightning

strike in seventy eighty three because

he rebelled against the British garv

government or something like that

they go jumping to the specific little

details first they worry about the trees

before actually getting a holistic view

of the entire forest now what is turning

to is them collecting random facts from

the history textbook oh okay

there's a guy by the name of something

and he died in the tide in a Boston

Massacre and then in fact he was a man

of color so yeah that's a random fact

that I should document down or there's

another guy by the name of there's this

French guy from France by the name of

the Lafayette and he came to America

when he was 19 years old and then oh

that guy okay let me document that fact

right that fact hour right there along

with the dates so then this turns into

this sort of scavenger hunt of random

information and this also contributes

back to the lack of cohesion later on

when you face your analysis tasks or

source analysis or essay tasks in the

future so instead of collecting random

facts which is a laborious process and

instead of collecting all these quotes

that you couldn't really memorize

without much context so that's the

problem with collecting random

information it's because there's no real

context to brown all of these these

information your mind is not functioning

as a map that maps all of these things

together to make you understand it in a

cohesive manner but instead you're just

collecting random pieces of tree barks

you're not exactly seeing the entire

forest bathing set you're worrying about

the little tree that's in front of you

right so there's no real context for you

to brown any of your facts in there's no

real context for you to ground pieces of

information in so therefore those

there's no cohesion in your historical

studies instead what you want to do is

to gain a holistic view of the entire

picture first lay out the backbone first

instead of putting a card in front of a

horse so to speak so instead of reading

every little details of it you want to

gain a very broad overview of what

exactly is happening you want to gain a

very broad

inspection of the entire scenery okay

from maybe 70-54 the Seven Years War

okay let me let me take a look at that

okay the L pity Congress or something

like that and you just start from that

point okay start from the Albany

Congress all the way to the Declaration

of Independence

let me just rethread adding a linear

progression without worrying about the

details and I what's gonna start to

happen is that as you assemble these

informations on a trend line as you aim

to gain a holistic understanding instead

of getting bogged down in the details

once the backbone is laid out then you

go back to your my new shot then you go

back to your little facts then the facts

will be effortlessly for you to memorize

because once you have the backbone you

can just simply attach different facts

upon this backbone without much fuss the

problem with the conventional way of

picking everything up is that it is

analogous to if you want to build your

Prometheus in Frankenstein for example

of dr. Frankenstein wants to build he's

permit us the wrong approach is to build

the Prometheus from the toe to the head

to start from every little nerve from

the front from the toe and to build this

thing from the ground up without a

skeleton so that's the wrong approach

that's gonna take a lot longer you're

not gonna know what goes where and all

you have is this collection of scattered

information with how much cohesion but

instead dr. Frankenstein has a layout

that stays the skeletal structures first

dr. Frankenstein has to get the skeleton

right before he can attach the nurse

attach to organs and finally attach to

finer details of the skin of the muscle

groups and finally construct the

Prometheus right

similarly with history you need a

backbone before you can put put up all

of my new shop first you need the

skeleton the skeletal structure first

before you can put in all to random

little details so how can we apply this

practically so practically if you would

to read history the first time that you

read a historic history textbook you

read it like a novel okay read a history

textbook like a novel the first time

that you were approached

so this is the importance of pre reading

before classes pre read through the

entire chapter without taking notes

without worrying about the little

details without worrying about the dates

but instead pick up pick up a general

trend line pick up this entire school

Edo structure that you're in that you're

gonna later gonna use so when you go to

class when you listen to your teachers

lectures now you can begin the process

of attaching organs to your prometheus

you can begin the process of attaching

little information to your backbone

structure which you've already laid out

in your pre reading so after the lecture

then you can start to construct your

notes and then taking notes at this

point it's just effortless because you

know what goes where what's happening

what things are significant while others

are not instead of coming in contact

with a bunch of information not knowing

what goes where what is more important

than the other and what is worth

memorizing and what is not so this

backbone right here is really gonna

serve you well so yep that's what I have

to say about history very short not

exactly that short but a very brief

introduction into historical reading

happy New Year and happy holidays this

is the Creek enquiry signing off right

now