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

ommon ritiism of ountrfatual history
A
that it rinfors th xaggratd influn
is
kings and attls—of politial, military
of
diplomati vnts—th snsationalist
and
shwd y many modrn historians.
historis
th “right” ountrfatuals, in light
Choosing
th mthodologial and thial knowldg
of
disussd in this haptr, ould go som
issus
to solving this. Howvr, th prati of
way
is ntangld with th qustion of
ountrfatuals
is onsidrd a historial vnt in th first
what
whih is why it intrsts us in TOK. Th
pla,
if… ?” qustion is only worth asking aout
“What
of ausal signifian that “mad” history.
vnts
giv us a lu aout what
Countrfatuals
onsidrd of onsqun to history. Th
is
prolm is not inhrnt to
kings-and-attls
ut stms from th issu of
ountrfatuals,
haptr has alrady xplord a numr of
This
onrns within history as an AOK. Ths
thial
th impliations of knowldg issus,
inlud
as what ounts as history, and who gts
suh
rad and writ it, as wll as th fundamntal
to
aout th rol of th historian and
assumptions
natur of historial fats. This stion xamins
th
qustions as thy rlat to knowldg in
thial
dtail. As othr haptrs show, TOK is not so
mor
onrnd with disrning right from wrong,
muh
in xploring th knowldg issus involvd
as
laims of right and wrong. Yt, th powr that
in
ritis ar unonvind, arguing that
Som
ar altogthr a wast of tim. In
ountrfatuals
to th puli ountrfatual disours in
rspons
annivrsary ommmorations of th First World
th
Rihard Evans, profssor of history at th
War,
of Camridg, said th following in 2014.
Univrsity
if … ? What
Whih fators influn th valu of
1.
What dos a rigorous ountrfatual
2.
look lik?
prati
What an w larn from a rigorous
3.
prati?
ountrfatual
Ar som vnts too omplx for
4.
analysis?
ountrfatual
If you onludd “ys” aftr disussing
5.
4: might th prolm
qustion
with history, and through history, thially
oms
th knowr to onsidr thir valus and
mandats
in any xris that dals with this
rsponsiilitis
An xampl might to onsidr, in th
AOK.
of intlltual humility, what onstituts
fram
nough aout a givn historial vnt
knowing
priod to form or artiulat an opinion aout
or
aus and fft of that vnt or priod. What
th
th impliations, for xampl, of tlling othr
ar
storis, spially whn prolmati
popl’s
dynamis ar involvd? Th qustion is
powr
dissimilar to th issu of appropriation w
not
IV. Ethics
III. Methods and tools
IV. Ethics
This kind of fantasising is now all the rage, and
threatens to overwhelm our perceptions of what
really happened in the past, pushing aside our
attempts to explain it in favour of a futile and
misguided attempt to decide whether the decisions
taken in August 1914 were right or wrong.
(Evans 2014)
For discussion
ountrfatuals as historial knowldg?
thrsholds of signifian disussd in stion II.
ovrom, and if so how?
I V. E T H I C S
273