Past Facts and the Nature of History
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4504649 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Adrian Currie (0000-0003-2638-202X, University of Exeter), Daniel Swaim (0000-0001-7464-152X, University of Exeter) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 179-206 |
| Publication date | 2021-09-20 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of the Philosophy of History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1872-261X • E-ISSN: 1872-2636 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1163/18722636-12341457 |
| OpenAlex | W3209348025 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 4 |
We defend a realist account of history: past facts are discoveries not creations. We show how 'moderate' realists, who admit the critical role of perspective, while insisting on history's metaphysical independence from historians, can accommodate Paul Roth's arguments in favor of irrealism. Moreover, our position is consistent with a dynamic past: as history unfurls past events gain new properties. Realism is necessary, we argue, to capture substantive disputes within history. It also grounds history's reflexivity: the point of the continual re-examination of history (and history's history!) turns in part on there being mind-independent past facts to be had
Art · Epistemology · Independence (probability theory · Medieval history · Metaphysics · Perspective (graphical · Philosophy of history · Political history · Political science · Politics · Realism · Reflexivity · Social science · Sociology · Classics · Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics · History · Law · Mathematics · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Philosophy, History, and Historiography
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |