What is History? This is the question posed by historian E.H. Carr in his study of historiography. Carr debates the ongoing argument which historians have challenged for years, on the possibility that history could be neutral. In his book he discusses the link between historical facts and the historians themselves. Carr argues that history cannot be objective or unbiased, as for it to become history, knowledge of the past has been processed by the historian through interpretation and evaluation. He argues that it is the necessary interpretations which mean personal biases whether intentional or not, define what we see as history. A main point of the chapter is that historians select the facts they think are significant which ultimately …show more content…
However, Carr rebuts this, as he states that ‘the belief in a hard core of historical facts existing objectively and independently of the interpretation of the historian is a preposterous fallacy, but one which it is very hard to eradicate.’ This statement explains the misconception that history is made up entirely of facts without the interference of opinion and biases. Carr’s argument is that for facts to become historical facts they must be interpreted and analyzed by the historian. This requires the process of selecting facts, evaluating and interpreting them, which inevitable will contain certain elements of personal prejudices. It is based on this reasoning which he therefore claims that facts can only become historical once they have been selected by a historian and this is what makes them significant. He therefore questions the extent to which a historian could be objective as experience could affect what we perceive as being important, meaning that historians are determining what the facts of the past are according to the own biases and agendas, whether they are consciously or unconsciously aware. Hence emphasising Carr’s point that history is an interpretation. He uses several examples to explain this for example it was the historian that decided Caesar crossing the Rubicon was a significant event whilst ignoring the many others that crossed it before and after him. Thus,
This paper deals with ways history can be interpreted and influences different interpretations have on society and individuals. This is explored through
To begin with, what is history? The answer to this question varies depending on whom is being inquired. Predominantly, history is regarded as the study of the evolution of ideas or events in chronological order. History is frequently applied to study topics such as economics, culture, politics and society. However, it can also be utilized to clarify alternative topics such as science, ideology, technology and more. The challenging aspect of history is to obtain documents and sources that are not biased or are coherent enough to trust.
She carries the audience through her argument in a logical sequence. First, she makes her claim that student do not know history and explains her reasons (250). She then elaborates on what history students are taught and what exactly is wrong with the methods by which they learn (251). After this, she explains the job of a historian to the reader – how historians confront primary sources to “make some sense of what once happened” (252). To end the article, Simon describes how students can better learn history through exploring primary sources (253). This structuring and organization helps the reader to understand and to believe Simon’s
In Telling the Truth About History, three historians discuss how the expanded skepticism and the position that relativism has reduced our capacity to really know and to expound on the past. The book talks about the written work of history and how individuals are battling with the issues of what is “truth.” It likewise examines the post-modernist development and how future historians
History is such a significant thing in the United Sates, and to our counterparts all over around the world. It has many purposes that help advance us, and it creates a source to learn from what was successful and unsuccessful. History in simpler terms is a preservation of thought during a certain period of time, documented by a person. This is why, it is important to think about how history has currently been documented and written. Often the source of our history comes from a person on one side, which usually is the more privileged side. This privileged side is able to fabricate a perfected image of themselves, and leave out the details of people with different perspectives. This is why I agree strongly with Robert Zinn’s Quote on history, and I believe that because of the amount of subjectivity in history there is not a such thing as impartial history.
History is a subject that can define a person’s heritage. Each one is different, but can have a few similarities. Each person’s history can explain where their family originated, the culture that they are originally from, the struggles that their family encountered, and so much more. But the most important thing that a person’s history can show, is how they ended up where they are today.
History is the totality of all past human events, and historiography is the written record of what is known about our lives and societies. In the recent past, history lessons were meant to convey a certain patriotism or to turn an immigrant into a “true American,” but today too many historians are using historical analysis for political purposes. This probably dates to the tumultuous times of the 1960s. Gordon Wood offers a prescription for the proper use of history. Shunning the ideologues of today, he believes historians should “seek to study past events not to make trans-historical generalizations about human behavior but to understand those events as they actually were, in all their peculiar contexts and circumstances.”
History is the foundation of everyone alive and deceased. Everyone in this world leaves a piece behind and marks the world in their own way. In history, important people who have done horrible and good things in this world have been recorded and displayed to children in schools. I mostly agree with the “The Politics of History by Howard Zinn” because it displays the fact that nearly every event in history has been done with a motive and has had consequences. A quote from Zinn’s work represents this is, “History is not inevitably useful.
McCullagh refutes the notion of inevitability by noting that standards exist that allow historians to cognitively avoid bias, and to do so in a manner that is not overly exhaustive. He declares that the “one important constraint upon historical descriptions is that they [simply] provide a fair account of the subject.” Naysayers at this point would question how one determines if a historical account is complete to the point of providing enough detail to be considered a fair account. McCullagh insists that a complete account requires a “preconception of the general nature of the subject” and involves “a descriptive explanation of
Benjamin Carr was born on April 16th 1997, at the Saint John regional hospital. My first impression of Ben was that he is an outgoing guy, our group was very indecisive as to where we could go and chat amongst each other and he piped up to say we are going to the library. I came learn that Ben has a very math based mind, he enjoys figuring out physics problems rather than reading or doing writing assignments. Ben also enjoys the calculus as well, much like myself in this respect.
History is defined as the study of the science of humanity in the past. It's a broad subject that spans over countless people groups throughout the years that the world has been around. Even before the times we have written word history was still being made, and it is still extremely important. We tend to forget that in our average day to day lives we are still making history. That all over the globe everyone is taking part in what might be in a history book someday.
History is a word that has been in our vocabulary for many years. It is defined as events that happened in the past. Elizabeth Boone defines history as having different meanings and layers that relate to particular subjects, places and time. She also believes that history should be defined as the selected and arranged past.
Nicolas Carr believed that an individual's personal choice toward technology had little to do with the technological advancement. According to Carr, the views conveyed by Lewis Mumford about the technological progress was completely wrong because he gave credit to solely technology as advances in science and engineering rather than highlight the impact on the costs of production and consumption. In Carr's opinion, economics should have been the main focus because in a cutthroat marketplace the most efficient methods of providing a critical asset will prevail. Because of technology, there is no need to retain information. A decline in the want or need to recall certain types of information indicates a change in the willingness of recalling information,
The definition of history, is a question which has sparked international debate for centuries between the writers, readers, and the makers of history. It is a vital topic which should be relevant in our lives because it?s important to acknowledge past events that have occurred in our world that deeply influences the present. This essay will discuss what history is, and why we study it.
History has always been a subject that is looked upon by many as a very controversial and biased one. In History people can have disagreements. One historian can believe that an event in the past happened in a certain way while another can think it happened differently. This is because history is a matter of interpretation as well as evidence, of judgement as well as knowledge. As a result of this historians must combine the rigor of a scientist with the imagination of an artist, to have the ability to produce a reasonable conclusion. Another historian however can