History

Is history more about facts or storytelling?

For

Evidence and documents define real history.

Against

History is interpreted through perspectives and narratives.

Anonymous excerpts, translated where noted.

For

  • Historians generally agree on the importance of preserving the details of evidence to ensure that the narrative at least does not contradict the evidence.
    RedditOriginal language: English
  • An important part of a historian's job is to judge how reliable a source is.
    RedditOriginal language: English

Against

  • the goal of history isn't just finding said "facts," it is selecting the salient ones and stringing them into a narrative
    RedditOriginal language: English
  • Historians are a type of storyteller, for sure
    RedditOriginal language: English
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