The Unity of Knowledge: History as Science and Art

Abstract

The study of history dates back to the classical times and its contributions to the development of human society have generated a lot of scholarly debate. The spectacular inventions which scientists had made by the late 18th century had not only contributed significantly to man’s knowledge of the universe and natural phenomena but also to the improvement of the material lot of humanity. Scientific and technological advances fired the imagination of historians to such a high degree that they began to question whether the scientific method would not be applied to better understand the human past. The attempt by historians to assert the scientific status of their discipline was the genesis of the heated debate as to whether history is a science, an art or both. This paper argued that scientific method is not peculiar to the sciences; it is also applicable to history. Scientific and historical methods are systematic, sequential, logical and progress in clearly defined steps. As a humanistic and literary activity, however, history is both science and art. The author concluded that since both scientists and historians contribute in many significant but different ways to the development of society, scientists, historians and humanists should de-emphasize the unitary view of knowledge and emphasize its essential unity.