The purposes and uses of history, with various examples including Marx and john Tosh etc

History can be utilised as a guidance of social behaviour, education, a verification of self-identity, a means of understanding the development of present society, an indication of human potential and providing cultural context to society. However, the argument also exists that there is no useful purpose for history. By contrasting the perceptions of history and its function, a concept of the uses of history can be derived. The historian John Tosh claims that 'history tells …

…character is supported by their cultural background. However, faithful representations are difficult as oral and written history is affected by the historian's background and perspective, therefore providing a biased account of events. History is useful as it has the purposes of directing social behaviour, educating the public by learning from past mistakes, a verification of self-identity, a means of understanding the development of present society, an indication of human potential and presenting cultural background knowledge.