History tests your analytical and reasoning skills, your ability to pierce agendas and see what lies between the lines. These techniques allow those who study history to construct complete arguments. Through the study of history, we can view past experiences through the lens of our contemporary, modern way of life. An example of historiography in practice is the perception of our ancestors and the differences between them and us. Tosh talks about the "otherness of the past" and challenges the popular idea that people from the past were "like us." In chapter 2, Tosh speaks of ancient Athens “where the ideas that form the foundation of modern philosophy took shape in a society sustained by slavery.” Stephen Fry adds to this when he writes: “Great and good men and women have mixed sugar into their coffee knowing that it had been picked by slaves. Our good and good ancestors never questioned the hangings, burnings, tortures, inequalities, suffering and injustices that are revolting today.