The question of what history our children should be learning at school is an interesting one, and much more important than generally realised (Children learning more about Nazis than our own history, claims Education Secretary, 15 June 2003). But first one needs to consider the purpose of learning history at all.

History is (or should be) what gives us our sense of identity, both as an individual and as a society. Without history - our individual and collective memories - we are nothing.

It is a deficiency in historical awareness which is the root cause of so many of society's problems. It results in the general lack of orientation, meaning and purpose that is all too evident in modern societies, and without which an individual can have no real appreciation of his place in society. This impacts negatively on the sense of duty and personal responsibility he or she feels towards society, and is evident in the high levels of alienation, crime and anti-social behaviour characteristic of our times (not that earlier times where necessarily a lot better).

In the past, it was the custom and practice of the ruling elite to impose their view of history on society, but times have changed and everyone can now lay claim to their own view of history. This can and has, of course, led to much confusion.

Another problem, quite about from the diversity of historical perspectives, is the fact that there is so much of it. You can spend your whole life studying history - as some do - and still only cover a tiny fraction of what is available. And it is increasing all the time!

Obviously, in the diverse society that Britain has now become there will be a great diversity of histories and of historical perspectives. What we need, though, is clarity, so that everyone can see and choose their own history and how it relates to local, British, European and world history, in part and as a whole. 

It is not government's place to prescribe what history its citizens should learn. In a democracy this is for the citizens themselves to decide. The government, however, has to provide guidelines and coordinate how this is done.

History should not simply be a subject we learn at school and then more-or-less forget about. In needs to be an on-going and cultivated part of life.

Alongside the role history should play in giving people a clear sense of their identity and place in society (at its various levels), it also has an essential role to play in helping to cultivate an appreciation of what we have in modern society compared with just a few generations ago, thanks to advances in science and technology, but tend to take for granted. This is far more important than it may seem, since it is a lack of such appreciation, together with our growth-dependent economy, that is driving us to place ever greater material demands on our planet's limited natural resources and finite carrying capacity. But more about that on my homepage at www.spaceship-earth.org.