01. Objectivity

Comment on “What Are Historical Facts, P. 331-335” Kayla Mizelle by blogrh

Nice summary and commentary, Kayla. I like how you found a picture of Dr. Becker as well.

In your last sentence, you write about the ability to make “assumptions and affirmations.” Could you explore that notion more, and explain how those assumptions and affirmations are built upon evidence? Students will need to avoid making such assumptions and affirmations if the evidence contradicts their beliefs, no?

Again, this is a well-written post that not only helps readers understand Becker’s writing; it also offers your take on his subject and how you can use it in your life as an educator. RH

Helen Goggins: Objectivity in History

In K. Anbalakan’s article, “Objectivity in History: An Analysis”, informs the reader of the different perspectives surrounding the notion of objective history. The idea of objective history dates back to Herodotus who believed a true form of history is achieved by gathering facts from both sides of a specific event that the history is being […]

Historical Objectivity: Does it exist?

Is history objective or subjective? The answer is both. While every historian strives to eradicate personal bias and subjectivity from their research, it is impossible to do so completely. Niall Ferguson, history professor at Harvard University, explores this idea in a short video entitled “Is there such a thing as historical objectivity?”. Ferguson attributes to …

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Objectivity and Bias in the Study of History: Is Objectivity Achievable?

The article I was assigned to read and critique dealt with explaining the practice of history as a scientific endeavor, rather than as a subsection of literature. The author, Mamta Aggarwal, begins her argument by stating that when writing or studying history it is inevitable that there will be subjectivity and personal bias. Her argument …

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Cece Burger: Can History be Objective? By Matthieu Watson Santerre

Matthieu Watson Santerre is a Master’s student in History of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Santerre has published and posted several articles on a variety of topics. In September of 2014 he decided to address the question, is there an amount of time between facts and historical analysis/writing that …

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“What Are Historical Facts, P. 331-335, Part 2” Kayla Mizelle

Carl L. Becker in, “What Are Historical Facts” pages 331-335 attempts to help aspiring historians understand where a historical fact exists. He explains that a historical fact exists either in the mind of a person or it does not exist at all. He explains that an event could be recorded and written down but with out …

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In Defense of History and Postmodernism

Richard Evan’s wrote the book “In Defense of History” in 1997 to fight of those who believe in Postmodernism.  In order to explain this, we must first define postmodernism. According to Merriam Webster, postmodernism can be defined as:  of, relating to, or being a theory that involves a radical reappraisal of modern assumptions about culture, …

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Delanie Tarvin: A Look at “What are Historical Facts? Part 3”

(Note: this article was split between three students. This blog covers the last third of the article or pages 336-340.) In “What are Historical Facts?” Carl L. Becker argues that complete historical objectivity is impossible, claiming that “the world of history is an intangible world, re-created imaginatively, and present in our minds.”[1] Specifically looking at …

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