Man, history, and society: a philosophical conversation.

History – whether as an academic or non-academic subject – has, over time and space, been subjected to many diverse interpretations. Often, these diverse interpretations are informed by factors such as geography, religion, politics, economics, and cultural values of society. To date, in the 21st century, the process does not seem to have changed, even with the giant strides that have been made in science and technology. In this paper, the authors have employed the analytical method to examine how the subject of history has been interpreted and written by men and women in the course of time and place. Through the use of case studies: from the earliest Greek period through modern European times to the developing society of Africa, the paper has presented interesting scenarios of man and the interpretation of history. Two epochs seem to have captured the attention of the authors. First is the Rankean age of scientific historiography, which gave rise to the massive collection and publication of historical sources and documents, starting from the mid-19th century. The emphasis at the time (which seems to have permeated modern historical writing) was vigorous test of evidence, verification of facts, and criticism of accepted generalisation. It is this critical approach that has compelled the practitioners of history to conclude that history is, undeniably, a science. The second interesting point of emphasis in the paper centres on the growth of African historiography. In pre-literate Africa, history was not perceived as a corpus of universal phenomenon; it was rather explained as the relationship between a given community and its constituent members; between the ancestors, the gods, as well as the living. Generally, the history of the pre-literate African society was embedded in oral tradition. This may explain why the Eurocentrists think that Africans are a group without a history of any contributions to the global society. However, with a relatively high rate of literacy in modern Africa, African history has been able to attain a level where we can now speak about community and universal African history. Altogether, it is the considered opinion of the paper that at all times and places, professional and non-professional historians should apply some sense of objectivity in the practice of the trade, if there must be a sane society.