Understanding History : An Introduction to Analytical Philosophy of History

Has any question about the historical past ever been finally answered? Of course there is much disagreement among professional historians about what happened in the past and how to explain it. But this incisive study goes one step further and brings into question the very ability of historians to ga...

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Kaituhi matua: Jonathan Gorman
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I whakaputaina: Les Presses de l’Université d’Ottawa | University of Ottawa Press 2021
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Urunga tuihono:48249
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author Jonathan Gorman
author_browse Jonathan Gorman
author_facet Jonathan Gorman
author_sort Jonathan Gorman
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description Has any question about the historical past ever been finally answered? Of course there is much disagreement among professional historians about what happened in the past and how to explain it. But this incisive study goes one step further and brings into question the very ability of historians to gather and communicate genuine knowledge about the past. Understanding History applies this general question from the philosophy of history to economic history of American slaveholders. Do we understand the American slaveholders? Has the last word on the subject been said? Both the alleged “profitability” of slavery and the purported causes of the American Civil War are philosophically analyzed. Traditional narrative history and econometric history are examined and compared, and their different philosophical assumptions made explicit. The problem of justifying historical methodologies is first set in the wider context of the philosophical problem of knowledge, then lucidly explained and resolved along pragmatic lines. The novelty of Gorman’s approach lies in its comparison of narrative with econometric history, its analysis of empathetic understanding in terms of cost-benefit analysis, and its elucidation of the metaphysical presuppositions of empiricism. It stands out especially for the clarity, rigor, and simplicity of its arguments.
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-615302024-03-25T18:26:44Z Understanding History : An Introduction to Analytical Philosophy of History Jonathan Gorman D1-2009 hisotriography history philosophy thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DN Biography and non-fiction prose Has any question about the historical past ever been finally answered? Of course there is much disagreement among professional historians about what happened in the past and how to explain it. But this incisive study goes one step further and brings into question the very ability of historians to gather and communicate genuine knowledge about the past. Understanding History applies this general question from the philosophy of history to economic history of American slaveholders. Do we understand the American slaveholders? Has the last word on the subject been said? Both the alleged “profitability” of slavery and the purported causes of the American Civil War are philosophically analyzed. Traditional narrative history and econometric history are examined and compared, and their different philosophical assumptions made explicit. The problem of justifying historical methodologies is first set in the wider context of the philosophical problem of knowledge, then lucidly explained and resolved along pragmatic lines. The novelty of Gorman’s approach lies in its comparison of narrative with econometric history, its analysis of empathetic understanding in terms of cost-benefit analysis, and its elucidation of the metaphysical presuppositions of empiricism. It stands out especially for the clarity, rigor, and simplicity of its arguments. 2021-02-12T06:54:14Z 2021-02-12T06:54:14Z 2020-09-09 12:19:45 1992 book 48249 9780776627014 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/61530 eng image/png http://books.openedition.org/uop/1902 Les Presses de l’Université d’Ottawa | University of Ottawa Press 28346d3d-473f-4898-9d9c-ee5baca583d5 9780776627014 open access
spellingShingle D1-2009
hisotriography
history
philosophy
thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DN Biography and non-fiction prose
Jonathan Gorman
Understanding History : An Introduction to Analytical Philosophy of History
title Understanding History : An Introduction to Analytical Philosophy of History
title_full Understanding History : An Introduction to Analytical Philosophy of History
title_fullStr Understanding History : An Introduction to Analytical Philosophy of History
title_full_unstemmed Understanding History : An Introduction to Analytical Philosophy of History
title_short Understanding History : An Introduction to Analytical Philosophy of History
title_sort understanding history an introduction to analytical philosophy of history
topic D1-2009
hisotriography
history
philosophy
thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DN Biography and non-fiction prose
topic_facet D1-2009
hisotriography
history
philosophy
thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DN Biography and non-fiction prose
url 48249
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