Is History the most pointless subject to do a degree in?

Sure its interesting but it would be better just to read Wikipedia than wasting time and money doing a degree in it.

There is much more scope to learn about and you could use the time and money to get a worthwhile degree.

Anyone else agree?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

paddlesnap

You, sir, are an idiot.

Reply 2

Rybee

Dude, you must never have heard of Media Studies if you think History is the most pointless degree subject... :rolleyes:

Subjects like History, Philosophy, Law etc... Teach you certain skill sets that employers seek. Not everybody who does History graduates to apply to be on Time Team.

You clearly don't understand the reasoning for reading particular subjects. :rolleyes:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 3

Jamiebennett

NO WAY! A vast number of history graduates go on to work in politics, diplomacy, research, teaching, banking, law and many other fields. I would actually argue it is one of the most versatile degrees.

Reply 4

EloiseStar

Ok, perhaps I'm biased but History degrees develop a lot of transferable skills; research, relatively good English due to the essays, organisation. It can't be applied to any profession, but a good majority of employers look for the skill set. This isn't just limited to History degrees, English, Law (for example).

Reply 5

RtGOAT

Original post by Oddities

But then could your argument work the other way..? Could one read Wikipedia for maths, of physics instead of (as stated in your words) 'wasting time and money doing a degree in it'. As there is another 'worthwhile' degree. And back to Wikipedia. It's unreliable (in the majority of cases).

Understanding maths and physics is not as simple as reading about what happened a number of years ago.

Reply 6

RtGOAT

Original post by Jamiebennett

They could have done better degrees ad got the same jobs more easily and still nourished their interest in history via Wikipedia.

Reply 7

username851717

Original post by Rybee

Not everybody who does History graduates to apply to be on Time Team.

I know, you need archaeology for that as well :wink:

No.

Original post by RtGOAT

Understanding maths and physics is not as simple as reading about what happened a number of years ago.

Why not? I could easily read the proof for Fermat's Last Theorem online. Does Mathematics/Physics really require understanding? It's like archeology. It's not like Mathematicians/Physicists are inventing new disciplines - they're just uncovering more information and in the case of Physics, applying 'human' understanding onto it.

Reply 10

ilickbatteries

Original post by Rybee

Dude, you must never have heard of Media Studies if you think History is the most pointless degree subject... :rolleyes:

May I ask - what employer-related skills do you gain from a history degree?

Reply 11

Oddities

Original post by RtGOAT

Understanding maths and physics is not as simple as reading about what happened a number of years ago.

I know. But then history, in some respects isn't simple. It's questioning why people did something, if it fitted that persons usual behaviour (and why or why not) etc. History can be quite complex, likewise so can maths and physics. (For me) it just depends on how easily a person can process such information (and in the subject they learn in).
But what about understanding history, and understanding why things happen. Granted that happens in maths and physics (more so with anomalies) when questioning and trying to understand why something happened or didn't happen.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 12

ilickbatteries

Original post by EloiseStar

Can't those skills be gained from almost any essay-based degree subject, though? Not saying that you're saying you must do a history degree to learn such skills, but people tend to rubbish degrees like Media Studies when the exact same skill-set is used with different knowledge.

Reply 13

halbeth

Original post by RtGOAT

Understanding maths and physics is not as simple as reading about what happened a number of years ago.

An awful lot of what wikipedia has to say on historical events, especially earlier ones, is painfully, painfully wrong.

History is valuable as it teaches you source criticism - a skill you evidently lack.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 14

username948920

Original post by ilickbatteries

Is that not akin to comparing someone who got a 1st class in Maths with a 2nd class in Maths? They both have the same knowledge/skill base except one is better at applying those skills?

Reply 15

RtGOAT

Original post by Savvy Sage

You're argument is stupid.

Anyone who can read can learn just as much, and then some, as a history grad.

The same cannot be said of a STEM subject, sure it maybe possible to learn it off the internet but it is a damn sight harder then simply reading. Not to mention any job in a STEM field would require a relevant degree. A history degree would only be a requisite to become a professor and in doing so the worthless cylce goes on.

Reply 16

RtGOAT

Original post by halbeth

How do you know its wrong? Were you there?

Reply 17

JollyGreenAtheist

Studying history isn't just learning arbitrary facts about the past. Sure, I'm biased as a history applicant, but I see it as way more useful than most sciences.

"A scientist will tell you how to clone a dinosaur; an historian will explain why that might not be such a grand idea".

I'll substantiate my assertions:

History, as an advanced academic pursuit, is not reading a book and learning "Oh, so the Normans invaded in 1066 and beat the Anglo Saxons, who had previously and quite narrowly beaten the Viking invaders at Stamford Bridge up near York". Any schmuck could do that. An historian is someone who considers multiple interpretations and records of the past and sifts through the available evidence to uncover the truth.

In terms of history being useful; history fundamentally teaches us how the machinery of today's society, government, religious organisations, economies, etc. were forged: how they developed, and how they arrived at their current state. Through that, we gain an invaluable understanding of the world in which we live, and how to act in accordance with that knowledge. It's essentially about avoiding the mistakes of the past.

Scientists could uncover the most groundbreaking and life-changing knowledge and ideas ever conceived, but its historians that make sense of that knowledge and those ideas in the context of society, giving that knowledge the worth that it holds today.