It encompasses virtually all aspects of human activity and behaviour. The arts and sciences, technology and economics, ideology and social attitudes are all as much as part of history as politics and war.
History is the most universal of the humanities.
It is not merely a body of facts to be learned, but is a series of arguments and points of view to be debated. The study of the ideas, attitudes, and actions of peoples in the past helps to sharpen a person's own sense of values, offering moral lessons in the search for a global future of creative achievement and international peace. It also helps to cultivate a more tolerant and compassionate spirit toward peoples whose culture and way of life may be different from one's own. Besides the obvious relevance of historical events to certain contemporary issues, the study of history offers the student the opportunity to develop mental skills which are invaluable in all fields of endeavour. Historical study teaches the student how to organize and classify extensive data.