Monday, April 07, 2014

What Is History

"So, how would you define 'history'?"
"That's easy. History is an account of what happened."
"But no one could give an account of everything that happened."
"Okay, then, history is an account of selected events that happened."
"But if historical events took place in the past, how can we be sure they actually occurred?"
"Okay, then, history is an account of selected events that the historian believes to have happened."
"You say, 'account.' Isn't there some judgment involved about what the events mean? Don't accounts differ?"
"Fine. Then history is an interpretation of selected events the historian believes to have happened."
"But why does he select and present just those events?"
"History is an interpretation of selected events the historian believes to have  happened, chosen to support the historian's point of view."
"What's 'point of view'?"
"The argument the historian is advancing about the meaning of the historical events, his ideology, his worldview."
"Conclusion?"
"History is a little less objective than I thought."


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