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9780814737156 Academic Inspection Copy

The Historians' Paradox

The Study of History in Our Time
  • ISBN-13: 9780814737156
  • Publisher: NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
    Imprint: NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
  • By Peter Charles Hoffer
  • Price: AUD $60.99
  • Stock: 0 in stock
  • Availability: This book is temporarily out of stock, order will be despatched as soon as fresh stock is received.
  • Local release date: 01/09/2010
  • Format: Paperback (229.00mm X 152.00mm) 226 pages Weight: 320g
  • Categories: Historiography [HBAH]
Description
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How do we know what happened in the past? We cannot go back, and no amount of historical data can enable us to understand with absolute certainty what life was like "then." It is easy to demolish the very idea of historical knowing, but it is impossible to demolish the importance of historical knowing. In an age of cable television pundits and anonymous bloggers dueling over history, the value of owning history increases at the same time as our confidence in history as a way of knowing crumbles. Historical knowledge thus presents a paradox - the more it is required, the less reliable it has become. To reconcile this paradox - that history is impossible but necessary - Peter Charles Hoffer proposes a practical, workable philosophy of history for our times, one that is robust and realistic, and that speaks to anyone who reads, writes and teaches history. Covering a sweeping range of philosophies (from ancient history to game theory), methodological approaches to writing history, and the advantages and disadvantages of different strategies of argument, Hoffer constructs a philosophy of history that is reasonable, free of fallacy, and supported by appropriate evidence that is itself tenable.
Preface Introduction Why History Is Impossible, Yet Necessary All the Same 1 It Would Be Logical to Assume 2 What's Wrong with This Argument? 3 Historians and the Loaded Question 4 Cause for Alarm 5 One of Us Is Lying 6 The Politics of History and History in Politics 7 Historians in the Marketplace 8 Uncertainties 9 Historians Confront the Problem of Evil ConclusionA Bridge to the Past Glossary A Very Brief Bibliographical Essay Index About the Author
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