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James Hagen's List: Historical interpretaton

  • Feb 07, 12

    TOK note

    2.3.4.0.4

    Historiography, that is, a study of the writings of history, is not a study of every event that has occurred, but rather a study of those traces that have been deemed relevant and meaningful by historians. The availability of those traces, and their relevance and meaning, may be influenced in many ways, by factors such as ideology, perspective or purpose. As knowers seek to clarify the past, and to determine whether or not what is claimed is true, they will face problems of reliability and attitudes, and may consider the purpose of historical analysis and the issue of the nature of historical truth. The opportunities for distinctions and interpretations that are culturally driven abound, and invite analysis.

    2.3.4.2.2

    In what ways has technology affected the study of history? How have the methods of gaining evidence and the means of communicating historical interpretation, for example, been affected by technological development? Can we now observe the past more directly?

    2.3.4.2.4

    Which is the more important attribute of the historian, the ability to analyse evidence scientifically (and so secure the foundations of an argument), or the ability to expand it with creative imagination (and create a living account)?

    2.3.4.2.6

    How does the context within which historians live affect historical knowledge? To what extent might the position of historians within their own epoch and culture undermine the value of their interpretation, and to what extent might it increase its value in making it relevant to a contemporary audience?

    2.3.4.2.7

    What is a historical explanation? How are causal connections between events established in history? According to what criteria can such explanations be critically evaluated?

  • Jan 17, 12

    Histories of momentous events are being written more rapidly, which raises big questions about the trade-off between immediacy and accuracy - or at least perspective. Does an increase in immediacy lead to a loss of perspective?

    www.ft.com/...b3-11e0-bb3e-00144feab49a.html TOK history technology theory theories data FT article 2.3.4.2.2

  • Jan 22, 12

    Many historians now agree that the public view that the atomic bomb was the decisive event that ended World War II is not supported by the facts. But the evidence is fragmentary and contradictory, in part because the Japanese destroyed many documents. The Japanese leadership was hit with two extraordinary events - Hiroshima and the Soviet invasion - and sorting out cause and effect, based on incomplete documentation, may prove impossible.

    www.boston.com/...why_did_japan_surrender TOK history causation correlation WW2 Hiroshima Japan atomic bomb 2.3.4.2.7

  • Feb 01, 12

    Weaving together a wealth of evidence uncovered in more than ten years of research, "Shakespeare" By Another Name brings to life the colorful figure of Edward de Vere whose life story presents countless mirror images in The Bard's plays and poems. "Shakespeare" By Another Name also assembles literally hundreds of sometimes overlooked and sometimes entirely new pieces of evidence that point toward the remarkable conclusion that Edward de Vere was "Shakespeare."

    shakespearebyanothername.com TOK history interpretation Shakespeare Anderson audio 2.3.4.2.1

  • Jan 19, 12

    Analysing a familiar set of historical facts from a different angle can completely change what we know about them.

    www.boston.com/...changing_history TOK history perspective archeoscience article 2.3.4.0.4

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