HISTORY

AS AN AREA OF KNOWLEDGE
 SCOPE everything connects to the past science builds on previous discoveries

truth: the central goal historical narratives are not fixed

defintions of historical facts
are debatable
of historical inquiry
shaped and manipulated dynamic
diverse historical narratives
Chinese Housewife's
dependent on interpretation digital age Falsification of Russian History
on Wikipedia

no direct observation limitations of historical records

quality and reliability

unraveling knowledge alternative interpretations
of the past not easily accessible
nature of evidence skepticism
reliance on sources
reconstructing the past from incomplete
Moon Landing
and often biased sources Conspiracy Theories
 SCOPE everything connects to the past science builds on previous discoveries

truth: the central goal historical narratives are not fixed

defintions of historical facts
are debatable
of historical inquiry
shaped and manipulated dynamic
diverse historical narratives
Chinese Housewife's
dependent on interpretation digital age Falsification of Russian History
on Wikipedia

no direct observation limitations of historical records

quality and reliability

unraveling knowledge alternative interpretations
of the past not easily accessible
nature of evidence skepticism
reliance on sources
reconstructing the past from incomplete
Moon Landing
and often biased sources Conspiracy Theories
PERSPECTIVES cultural context

benefits Chinese housewives: knowledge is

distorted
perspective shows the fragility of
historical knowledge deliberate
interpretation
and bias
United Daughter of the manipulation and falsification
Confederacy’s efforts
individual values and
different viewpoints
ideologies
culture and politics

public opinion and devision harmful actions

John Hersey’s reporting on the
Hiroshima bombing over-looked human experiences Impact on Society

ethical responsibility
uncovering
subjectivity in historian accounts
hidden truths
equally acceptable versions
empathy
 “How Fake News Has Distorted Our
METHODS & TOOLS View of History”
“How Do Historians Know What knowledge

They Know?” eyewitness testimony preservation

archaeology
“The Moon Landing Conspiracy
archive-based
archival research historical research Theories” history challenges
methods
misinformation
textual analysis unreliable senses
affects narratives
different from
reliance on interpretation reliability of human senses
empirical sciences radiocarbon dating &
and memory
“The Philosophy of History” digital archives

technology
unique source reliability
methodology greater precision
credibility of author
potential biases
ETHICS “The Philosophy of History”

people in past and right to

“The Limits of Historical political or ideological
privacy in the present
Empathy” purposes
archaeology
“How Fake News Has Distorted
privacy
modern ethical judging the past by Our View of History”
today’s standards
norms
our understanding of
understanding historical moral responsibility
historical figures
context
reliance on interpretation “atrocity” and “hero” misused to promote false
narratives ethical obligation to not ignore
“The Moon Landing Conspiracy
“How do historians know contradictory evidence
Theories”
what they know?”
ignoring
value judgements in
addressing contradictions to contradiction
historical writing
maintain integrity