Theories of History专用课件.pptVIP

Theories of History K.J. Benoy Schools of Thought Historians (and non-historians) seek to make sense of the past. They look for patterns. They seek truths. What they find shapes their conclusions. If they are not intellectually honest, their existing ideas may determine what they seek in the past – and therefore reinforce pre-determined beliefs – not unlike a science student “cooking” his experimental results. Since we all have biases, a good historian must be aware of his own and must avoid a myopic approach and be willing to change positions if the evidence warrants it. Schools of Thought It is possible to see clusters of historical interpretations – these are referred to as schools of thought. Sometimes historical writers fit comfortably into one particular school. Sometimes they straddle two or more. Cyclical This suggests that history repeats itself over time. There is no real progress. Such views were common in the ancient world – Herodotus [the ancient Greek known as the father of history; his accounts of the wars between the Greeks and Persians are the first known examples of historical writing (485-425 BC)] and Thucydides [ancient Greek historian remembered for his history of the Peloponnesian War (460-395 BC)] suggested this. Ssu-Ma Ch’ien, in China, believed in dynastic cycles. Mesoamerican civilizations believed in this. During the Renaissance Petrarch [an Italian poet famous for love lyrics (1304-1374)] and Machiavelli [a statesman of Florence who advocated a strong central government (1469-1527)] recycled the idea. In modern times Toynbee [English historian who studied the rise and fall of civilizations looking for cyclical patterns (1889-1975) ]and Spengler[German philosopher who argued that cultures grow and decay in cycles (1880-1936)] have also believed in it. Linear Followers of these theories believe in progress. St. Augustine. [one of the great fathers of the early Christian church; after a dramatic conversion to Christianity he became bishop