The Historical Relativism of Charles A. Beard

The relativistic views of the eminent American historian Charles A. Beard have attracted much attention since their first appearance in the 1930s. Beard's essays on this topic have been widely anthologized and used as exemplars of the relativist position.' His views have left a lasting impact on the theory and practice of historians themselves.2 Since Beard's influence is widespread and undeniable, I think it important to see exactly what those views are. In the first part of this note, I shall point out a problem with Beard's views apparently not hitherto noted by commentators. I shall then attempt to resolve that problem in a way which renders those views internally consistent and plausible. In the second part of this note, I shall discuss some interpretations of Beard by others and then suggest a new interpretation of his larger position and aims which may be more satisfactory. In doing this I shall concentrate on his Presidential address to the American Historical Association, Written History as an Act of Faith, which is at once the strongest, most fully developed and detailed, and most perplexing statement of his position

Epistemology · Relativism · American Constitutional Law and Politics · History · Philosophy · Philosophy, History, and Historiography