| The Knowability of History handout |
|
|
|
| Written by John Feakes |
|
The “Knowability” of History (This handout goes along with my 40 minute lecture on the "knowability" of history) * Argument: History is unknowable because it was not witnessed directly * Answer: We cannot live one day believing only those things that we have witnessed personally. * Argument: History is unknowable because we don’t have the whole story * Answer: Our knowledge is limited in every area. It is a mistake to confuse completeness with truthfulness. We need not know everything in order to know something * Argument: History is unknowable because it is impossible to report on past events objectively * Answer: It is a mistake to equate objectivity with truthfulness. Those more emotionally attached to subject may have more incentive to get the facts straight. Also, the argument is self-defeating. The critic himself is reporting to us what historians of the past were doing, supposedly in an objective manner |
| Last Updated on Saturday, 20 September 2008 14:47 |


