Lecture 1 Historical Method

Summary

This lecture introduces the concept of historical method, explaining that the term 'history' originates from the Greek word 'historia', meaning learning. History aims to reconstruct human past events, though much of it is lost or incomplete due to the limitations of surviving records. The task of historians is to critically examine available evidence and reconstruct an image of the past, while acknowledging that the full history is unattainable. Historiography, as described, is the imaginative process of recreating past events based on historical data, shaped by the historian’s experience and interpretation.

Takeaways

• 😀 History originates from the Greek word 'historia,' meaning learning.
• 😀 Aristotle defined history as a systematic account of natural phenomena over time.
• 😀 The Romans introduced the term science, which referred to non-chronological accounts of natural phenomena.
• 😀 The term history evolved to exclusively describe chronological accounts of human affairs.
• 😀 The primary goal of history is to reconstruct the past of mankind.
• 😀 Most of the past is beyond recall due to incomplete or absent records.
• 😀 Only partial records of past events have survived and reached historians' attention.
• 😀 Not all surviving records are credible, and only some can be fully grasped.
• 😀 Historians' task is to recreate a similar image of the past based on available evidence, not to achieve complete knowledge of it.
• 😀 The historical method involves critically analyzing and examining the records of the past to reconstruct history through the lens of available evidence.
• 😀 Historiography is the imaginative reconstruction of the past, drawing from the data collected by historical methods.

Q & A

What is the origin of the term 'history'?

The term 'history' comes from the Greek word 'historia,' which means 'learning.'

How does Aristotle define history?

Aristotle defines history as a systematic account of a set of natural phenomena, as opposed to a logical or non-chronological account.

How did the Romans influence the term 'history'?

The Romans introduced the term 'science' from the Latin word 'scientia,' which pertains to non-chronological, systematic accounts of natural phenomena.

What is the primary goal of history?

The primary goal of history is to reconstruct the past of mankind.

Why is it impossible to fully reconstruct the past?

It is impossible to fully reconstruct the past because most human affairs happen without leaving any records or vestiges, and many records are incomplete, lost, or destroyed over time.

What role does memory play in historical reconstruction?

Memory plays a crucial role, as only a portion of what was observed in the past was remembered, and even less was recorded and has survived.

Why is the surviving evidence of history considered incomplete?

Surviving evidence of history is incomplete because only a part of what was recorded has survived, and only a portion of that survives is accessible to historians.

What does the historian's task involve?

The historian's task is not to acquire a complete knowledge of the past, but to recreate an image of the past based on the available evidence, considering its limitations.

How is history as told different from the actual past?

History, as told, is an expression of the understood, credible, and recorded parts of the past, based on incomplete and sometimes subjective evidence.

What is historiography, and how is it related to historical method?

Historiography is the imaginative reconstruction of the past from the data derived through the historical method, which involves critically examining and analyzing the records and evidence of the past.