Theory of Knowledge - Course Companion for Students Marija Uzunova Dang Arvin Singh Uzunov Dang

did not go as far as Collingwood; his
Carr
is somwhr in th middl of a
position
twn th mpirial approah
sptrum
y Lopold von Rank and th
spousd
of Collingwood. Rank is famous
idalism
th saying that opnd this haptr:
for
to show how it was”—arguing for
“simply
mpirial history asd on a st of “tru
an
As w hav sn, Carr’s stan was
fats”.
this was impossil: historians hoos
that
fats ar important and, furthr,
whih
fats thmslvs ould lad historians
th
hang thir viws, in a sort of irular
to
that h alld “an unnding dialogu
dan
How would you artiulat th diffrn
1.
th thr viws on history
twn
What ar th diffrns in thir
2.
for truth and ojtivity in
impliations
viw, although midway twn
Carr’s
was still ontrovrsial and promptd
xtrms,
sris of rsponss. In 1962, th stmd
a
and historian of idas, Isaiah Brlin,
philosophr
Carr’s work and ritiizd th ntral
rviwd
raisd. Brlin argud that ojtivity was
issus
if a historian usd an appropriat
otainal
But what would suh a mthod look
mthod.
Elton offrd his mthod in The Practice
lik?
History (1967), writtn largly in rspons to
of
idas. Elton r-mphasizd th rol of
Carr’s
historian as disovrr of truth, asting a nt
th
nough to gathr mpirial vidn and
wid
analysing that vidn. This was
ojtivly
dfn of th traditional mpirial-sintifi
a
of history assoiatd with Rank. Elton
shool
ojtivity as rupral, and truth as
saw
providd th right mthod was
disovral,
whih h dsrid as a mirror of th
usd,
mthod: “historians must ommittd
sintifi
th vidn” (Elton quotd in Rorts
from
lik th dutiful sintist who dos not
1998),
thir hypothsis or thoris to influn
allow
osrvations.
thir
may wondring: what is th purpos of
You
historian, and history, aording to Carr, if
th
is impossil? His position was that
ojtivity
ttr historians hoos th right fats, th
th
fats, to rah a los approximation
important
th truth. To do this thy nd to ris aov
to
own ontxt in history and omprhnd
thir
influns thm—using a dply slf-awar
what
Can you dsri th diffrn in thir
1.
on historial fats?
viws
2. How would thy dfin truth in history?
How would thy know whthr thir
3.
had ahivd truth in history?
work
To what xtnt do thir viws mirror th
4.
undrstanding of sin?
popular
How would Carr dsri an idal
5.
of history?
prati
asid th issus of fats and truth, and
Laving
and valuation, what ls maks
intrprtation
good history? Thr ar a fw gnrally
for
guidlins worth noting. If a larg
agrd
of independent sours agr on a vrsion
numr
vnts, studnts of history should favour that
of
III. Methods and tools
III. Methods and tools
For ref lection
Three views on history
twn th past and prsnt”.
As a studnt of TOK, onsidr ths qustions.
outlind aov?
analysis and judgmnt.
historial knowldg?
For discussion
History and truth
Think aout th viws of Elton and Carr.
to allowing intrprtations of th past to mrg
265