Values Objectivity And Explanation In Historiography

Author : Tor Egil Førland
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 206 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2017-01-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781315470955

Get Book

Values, Objectivity, and Explanation in Historiography by Tor Egil Førland Pdf

Bringing sophisticated philosophy to bear on real-life historiography, Values, Objectivity, and Explanation in Historiography rekindles and invigorates the debate on two perennials in the theory and methodology of history. One is the tension between historians' values and the ideal—or illusion—of objective historiography. The other is historical explanation. The point of departure for the treatment of values and objectivity is an exceptionally heated debate on Cold War historiography in Denmark, involving not only historians but also the political parties, the national newspapers, and the courts. The in-depth analysis that follows concludes that historians can produce accounts that deserve the label "objective," even though their descriptions are tinged by ineluctable epistemic instability. A separate chapter dissects the postmodern notion of situated truths. The second part of the book proffers a new take on historical explanation. It is based on the notion of the ideal explanatory text, which allows for not only causal—including intentional—but also nomological, structural, and functional explanations. The approach, which can accommodate narrative explanations driven by causal plots, is ecumenical but not all-encompassing. Emergent social properties and supernatural entities are excluded from the ideal explanatory text, making scientific historiography methodologically individualistic—albeit with room for explanations at higher levels when pragmatically justified—and atheist.

Author : Tor Egil Førland
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 194 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2017-01-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781315470962

Get Book

Values, Objectivity, and Explanation in Historiography by Tor Egil Førland Pdf

Bringing sophisticated philosophy to bear on real-life historiography, Values, Objectivity, and Explanation in Historiography rekindles and invigorates the debate on two perennials in the theory and methodology of history. One is the tension between historians' values and the ideal—or illusion—of objective historiography. The other is historical explanation. The point of departure for the treatment of values and objectivity is an exceptionally heated debate on Cold War historiography in Denmark, involving not only historians but also the political parties, the national newspapers, and the courts. The in-depth analysis that follows concludes that historians can produce accounts that deserve the label "objective," even though their descriptions are tinged by ineluctable epistemic instability. A separate chapter dissects the postmodern notion of situated truths. The second part of the book proffers a new take on historical explanation. It is based on the notion of the ideal explanatory text, which allows for not only causal—including intentional—but also nomological, structural, and functional explanations. The approach, which can accommodate narrative explanations driven by causal plots, is ecumenical but not all-encompassing. Emergent social properties and supernatural entities are excluded from the ideal explanatory text, making scientific historiography methodologically individualistic—albeit with room for explanations at higher levels when pragmatically justified—and atheist.

Author : Peter Novick
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 580 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 1988-09-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781107268296

Get Book

That Noble Dream by Peter Novick Pdf

The aspiration to relate the past 'as it really happened' has been the central goal of American professional historians since the late nineteenth century. In this remarkable history of the profession, Peter Novick shows how the idea and ideal of objectivity were elaborated, challenged, modified, and defended over the last century. Drawing on the unpublished correspondence as well as the published writings of hundreds of American historians from J. Franklin Jameson and Charles Beard to Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and Eugene Genovese, That Noble Dream is a richly textured account of what American historians have thought they were doing, or ought to be doing, when they wrote history - how their principles influenced their practice and practical exigencies influenced their principles.

Author : Joseph Theodoor Leerssen,Ann Rigney
Publisher : Leiden University Press
Page : 252 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : History
ISBN : UOM:39015043193112

Get Book

Historians and Social Values by Joseph Theodoor Leerssen,Ann Rigney Pdf

Is historical scholarship compatible with commitment to social values? Do professional historians have particular social responsibilities and if so, how can they best exercise them? These are questions which are chronically open to debate in the light of changing historical circumstances and changing historical practices. In recent years, they have re-emerged as a result of a number of theoretical and cultural developments: the increasing realization that historians 'construct' history in selecting some topics for investigation rather than others; the calls among professionals and non-professionals alike to give priority to the preservation of private and collective 'memories' of the past; the increasing power of the mass media in disseminating views of the past and in thus competing with professional historians. In the light of these developments, the present collection surveys the relationship between historical writing and social values. It aims to stimulate and to inform discussion by clarifying, from a variety of points of view, the theoretical and the practical issues confronting contemporary historians.

Author : Dussen,Rubinoff
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 213 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2022-07-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9789004451605

Get Book

Objectivity, Method and Point of View by Dussen,Rubinoff Pdf

The essays collected together in this volume originated with a symposium which addressed a variety of issues associated with the publications of Professor W.H. Dray in the philosophy of history. In this expanded version of the original symposium, to which Professor Dray has provided a critical response, a group of prominent philosophers and historians address the central questions posed by contemporary philosophy of history - such as, the logic and methodology of historical explanation, the selection and uses of evidence, the fact/value relationship, the nature of historical causation, the question of conflicting interpretations and their possible resolution, the idea of history as a school of practical wisdom, and the question whether history has any discernable pattern or meaning. These issues are approached from the experience of both historians and philosophers and represent an important increment to the long-standing and continuing debates concerning the nature and aims of the practice and philosophy of history.

Author : Ronald F. Atkinson
Publisher : Springer
Page : 238 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 1978-11-30
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781349159659

Get Book

Knowledge and Explanation in History by Ronald F. Atkinson Pdf

Author : Georg G. Iggers
Publisher : Wesleyan University Press
Page : 210 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2005-02-28
Category : History
ISBN : 9780819567666

Get Book

Historiography in the Twentieth Century by Georg G. Iggers Pdf

A broad perspective on historical thought and writing, with a new epilogue.

Author : Paul F Frank Beisbier
Publisher : Page Publishing Inc
Page : 514 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2019-07-09
Category : History
ISBN : 9781645446385

Get Book

The Value of History by Paul F Frank Beisbier Pdf

The work that is about to be surveyed by the reader represents decades of painstaking work to provide him or her with the most positive and freshest perspective with respect to what the discipline of history teaches him or her to improve the quality of not only his or her daily life but also those of all other whom he or she comes into contact with. This task is accomplished when he or she becomes aware of the fact that the greatest possible good can only be achieved through the promotion of the adequate satisfaction of the greatest number of needs of the maximum number of people within the context of its being mutually beneficial to all parties involved. Furthermore, the reader of this volume gains the widest perspective on how the above assertion is valid for and has a positive impact on all fields of human endeavor, individual human lives, and human institutions, since the content of historical subject matter consists of nothing less than the past and present record of all the events and developments of the above entities. Thus, since everything that people learn is through past and present experiences, history teaches them everything and nothing can be perceived outside the framework of its subject matter. To present a graphic example to the reader of this volume to clearly illustrate the truth and validity of the above points, the author has used the comparison and contrast of the values, beliefs, and cultures of two very different societies in variant times and places to do so. The retrograde valuing of power and wealth placed on them by a small elite in European medieval society, resulting in limited social mobility in a primarily agrarian society, is in marked contrast to the emphasis on limited individual freedom within the framework of the rule of law as espoused by modern America. Within the latter framework, it was possible to develop a modern industrial and postindustrial community to provide individual social advancement through educational and employment opportunities as well as through the availability of quality health care. Finally, through all that has been stated above, it is worthwhile for society at large as well as the academic community to peruse through the contents of this volume in order to accomplish the above objectives.

Author : Chiel Martien Akker,VAN DEN AKKER
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 172 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2020-08-17
Category : History
ISBN : 9463728333

Get Book

The Modern Idea of History and Its Value by Chiel Martien Akker,VAN DEN AKKER Pdf

Author : Chiel van den Akker
Publisher : Amsterdam University Press
Page : 139 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2020-07-10
Category : History
ISBN : 9789048552054

Get Book

The Modern Idea of History and its Value by Chiel van den Akker Pdf

This is an original and accessible introduction to the modern idea of history and its value, and an indispensable companion to the study of history and its philosophical underpinnings. The book answers two basic questions: What is history? And what is its value? It also shows how the answers to these questions are mutually dependent. The old view that history is the teacher of life, for instance, assumes that the past is a reservoir of examples from which moral lessons for the present can be drawn. The subjects discussed include history as the teacher of life, the need for truth and objectivity, the moral standards of the historian, realism and the value of historical insight, historical explanation and understanding, the intelligibility of the historical process, the tragedy of history, the politics of history-writing, and the close connection between history, narrative, and the desire for justice. These topics are discussed with the help of inspiring and influential historians and philosophers such as Thucydides, Ranke, Hegel, Nietzsche, Collingwood, Arendt, White, Hunt, and Ankersmit.

Author : Thomas L. Haskell
Publisher : JHU Press
Page : 446 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2000-11-15
Category : History
ISBN : 0801865352

Get Book

Objectivity Is Not Neutrality by Thomas L. Haskell Pdf

Haskell explores topics ranging from the productivity of slave labor to the cultural concomitants of capitalism, from John Stuart Mill's youthful "mental crisis" to the cognitive preconditions that set the stage for antislavery and other humanitarian reforms after 1750. He traces the surprisingly short history of the word responsibility, which turns out to be no older than the United States. And he asks whether the epistemological radicalism of recent years carries the power to justify human rights - rights of academic freedom, for example, or the right not to be tortured.

Author : Peter Machamer,Gereon Wolters
Publisher : University of Pittsburgh Pre
Page : 326 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2004-11-28
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780822970866

Get Book

Science Values and Objectivity by Peter Machamer,Gereon Wolters Pdf

Few people, if any, still argue that science in all its aspects is a value-free endeavor. At the very least, values affect decisions about the choice of research problems to investigate and the uses to which the results of research are applied. But what about the actual doing of science?As Science, Values, and Objectivity reveals, the connections and interactions between values and science are quite complex. The essays in this volume Theory and Method in the Neurosciences surveys the nature and structure of theories in contemporary neuroscience, exploring many of its methodological techniques and problems. The essays in this volume from the Pittsburgh -Konstanz series explore basic questions about how to relate theories of neuroscience and cognition, the multilevel character of such theories, and their experimental bases. Philosophers and scientists (and some who are both) examine the topics of explanation and mechanisms, simulation and computation, imaging and animal models that raise questions about the forefront of research in cognitive neuroscience. Their work will stimulate new thinking in anyone interested in the mind or brain and in recent theories of their connections.identify the crucial values that play a role in science, distinguish some of the criteria that can be used for value identification, and elaborate the conditions for warranting certain values as necessary or central to the very activity of scientific research.Recently, social constructivists have taken the presence of values within the scientific model to question the basis of objectivity. However, the contributors to Science, Values, and Objectivity recognize that such acknowledgment of the role of values does not negate the fact that objects exist in the world. Objects have the power to constrain our actions and thoughts, though the norms for these thoughts lie in the public, social world.Values may be decried or defended, praised or blamed, but in a world that strives for a modicum of reason, values, too, must be reasoned. Critical assessment of the values that play a role in scientific research is as much a part of doing good science as interpreting data.

Author : Berber Bevernage,Lutz Raphael
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Page : 321 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2023-07-24
Category : History
ISBN : 9783111186054

Get Book

Professional Historians in Public by Berber Bevernage,Lutz Raphael Pdf

The past decades public interest in history is booming. This creates new opportunities but also challenges for professional historians. This book asks how historians deal with changing public demands for history and how these affect their professional practices, values and identities. The volume offers a great variety of detailed studies of cases where historians have applied their expertise outside the academic sphere. With contributions focusing on Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Europe the book has a broad geographical scope. Subdivided in five sections, the book starts with a critical look back on some historians who broke with mainstream academic positions by combining their professional activities with an explicit political partisanship or social engagement. The second section focusses on the challenges historians are confronted with when entering the court room or more generally exposing their expertise to legal frameworks. The third section focuses on the effects of policy driven demands as well as direct political interventions and regulations on the historical profession. A fourth section looks at the challenges and opportunities related to the rise of new digital media. Finally several authors offer their view on normative standards that may help to better respond to new demands and to define role models for publicly engaged historians. This book aims at historians and other academics interested in public uses of history.

Author : Adam Timmins
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 193 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2022-06-21
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781666902426

Get Book

Towards a Realist Philosophy of History by Adam Timmins Pdf

Towards a Realist Philosophy of History argues for the radical—at least in contemporary historical theory—view that historians are by and large successful in their goal of providing accurate knowledge and understanding about the historical past. Adam Timmins provides a philosophical framework that supports this endeavor, as well as highlighting some of the issues with the "strong constructivist" accounts common in contemporary historical theory. Among other things, the book provides a realist construal of colligatory concepts, historiographical reference, and the use of narrative, as well as examining the mechanisms of historiographical progress. The work also provides some much-needed criticism of aspects of the strong constructivist position, such as the contemporary adoption of “irrealism” and the idealist implications of this, that has have yet failed to make their way into the existing literature. The book proves that historical theory has not “moved on” from the realism-idealism debate and that realism with regards to the products of historiography is still very much a live option.

Author : Robert Leroux
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2017-08-31
Category : History
ISBN : 9781351595292

Get Book

History and Sociology in France by Robert Leroux Pdf

In the late 19th century and early part of the 20th, with the coming of age of sociology in France, the idea that there could be a “science” of history was the subject of much and varied debate. The methodological problems surrounding historical knowledge that were debated throughout this period concerned not only scientific history, but the social sciences as well, and sociology more specifically. Although sociology was from its origins in competition with the discipline of history, from the outset, it too was interested in history as a form of objective knowledge. Many of sociology's founders believed that by retracing historical processes, they could make a clean break with abstraction and metaphysics. For their part, historians generally remained hostile to any kind of systematization. And yet, at the end of the 19th century, the science of history would draw some valuable lessons from the emerging methodology of sociology. It was in large part under the impetus of the issues and problems raised by the philosopher Henri Berr and by the Durkheimian School, with the economist François Simiand as its lead protagonist, that the community of historians, increasingly aware of the limits of narrative history, turned so enthusiastically to social and economic history – just as Durkheim and his disciples consulted history in order to avoid the twin pitfalls of the philosophy of history and of introspective psychology. History and Sociology in France focuses on this dialogue of the two neighboring sciences.