What is history? Though history had been there since ancient periods, most people and scholars are confused about what really history means. The definition of history is neither complicated nor easy. The question of what is history sometimes feels meaningless but also superfluous. The book What is History? by E.H Carr talks about different definitions of history by different scholars and criticisms of their definitions. The historians and philosophers of medieval periods come up with writing history in different ways based on their ideologies and philosophical thought. Hence, historians like Herodotus, Aristotle, Plato, Hegel, and Thomas shoot up the different definitions of history in their own perceptions and points of view. But, the way of defining history is always criticized and the chain of continuity for defining history had never come to a full stop. As an example, Thomas Carlyle defines history as Biography of Great Men. But it too had been criticized by other historians. Thus, it is a unique opportunity to define history in the best way through the interpretation of facts by using new methods and techniques for finding truth in history. As historians and facts play a very important role in writing history. Acco
rding to Carr to be a historian the person should have gone through the situation events should be evaluated not to be interpreted. Hence, the main point that triggers our mind is none of the writers had gone through past events and what really historians had come up with is not believable. Thus, history had been more biased and subjective. Carr states that before someone study history, study the historians. Which I agree is important to do. The facts are being studied by historians and interpretation depends on them. Thus, without knowing the historians first it is foolish to believe in their works. But, history too had been an unending dialogue between past and present and it had a chain of continuity from generation to generation. The main intention of the book is to know how to become a historian and what value needs to be as a historian. Not only that books talks about how historians do their jobs. Why the different definitions of history? How to become a historian? What history really means? Why is history a chain of continuity? How is history science? Medieval history had been more theological, mythological, beliefs, and more of great men. Thus, history as a biography of great men makes sense in the present world.