Historical Assessment
In response to the first question, according to the author it is likened to detective work. Since not all facts will ever be obtained surrounding a historical event, historians must search for hidden clues in order to rebuild the events of the past. However, even this aim is difficult to accomplish. The problem often arises with generational influences. Historians tend to infer their own beliefs based upon their current social climate to the event they wish to interpret. In this sense, a historian’s responsibility is to better understand the social influences and cultural values of the past rather than his own at the present. Historians must be very meticulous when organizing their documents, as the potential for an error in judgment is always present. This concept of relativism better preserves the past in its entirety.
Causes of historical events can never be assessed without investigating the effects they produced as history progressed. When this cycle of cause and effect is observed, similarities can be drawn to connect each of these historical medleys. When these loose ends are closer knit, these cycles evolve into trends. Though it is possible to conjure up historical trends, they should not be completely relied upon to determine a specific outcome, mostly because these “trends” have a tendency to deviate from their assumed outcomes. After all, history may repeat itself to a degree, but never to the finest detail. It never quite plays out the same way twice. For the historian, this means to identify a trend when possible, but to be cautious as to how much faith is placed in it.
Clearly, the author believes that logic is the basis for determining the causes of a historical event. This basically amounts to stacking the facts and reaching a conclusion based upon the most widely accepted assortment of facts. He leaves room for various historical interpretations (of course, avoidance of this is impossible); however, he claims these interpretations...
Please login to view the full essay...