Thursday, July 23, 2009

Truths, facts, and lies…

Are there biases in history? Absolutely. Which collection of facts and data about specific subject matter and how they are to be recorded all depend on the point of view and perspectives of the person writing the account. Are we to take what is in print as the absolute truth? I don't believe so...

Personally, when studying events of the past, I view them from the standpoint that history involves the never ending flow of information between the present and the past. Point of view and interpretations of the past should be viewed knowing that they are subject to change based on new evidence, new perspectives gained by the passage of time. It is unavoidable for historians to not be influenced by the spirit of the times. Therefore, to avoid being influenced by subjective viewpoints based solely on another’s opinions or the pervasive sentiments of the times, history needs to be examined with an open mind and constant research.

1 comment:

  1. Agreed...although an open mind is hard to come by sometimes :)

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