Characteristics of Historical Thinking

[de officiis]

Characteristics of Historical Thinking

1. The ability to tell the difference between a primary and a secondary source.
2. The ability to “source the source”; that is, figure out who created the source, when it was created, and so on.
3. The ability to obtain information about the authority of the source and to assess that authority in light of other evidence.
4. The ability to set sources in their proper chronological order and to understand why that ordering is important.
5. The ability to construct an original argument based upon evidence from various sources.
6. The ability to recognize the strangeness of the past without being put off by that strangeness.
7. The ability to make comparative judgments about evidence.
8. The ability to recognize what one does not or cannot know from the evidence at hand.
9. The ability to understand that events are understood differently by different people.
10. The ability to triangulate between and among sources.
11. The ability to ask probing questions—not just what happened, but why did it happen this way and why didn’t it happen that way?
12. The ability to recognize the role of causality.
13. The ability to critique evidence both on its own terms and in terms of its value to a larger analytical project.
14. The ability to recognize lines of argument in historical thought.
15. The ability to present the past in clear ways, whether in writing or in other media, saying what can be said and not saying what cannot.”

Also helpful when reading the news.

[katarn]

Characteristics of Historical Thinking

1. The ability to tell the difference between a primary and a secondary source.
2. The ability to “source the source”; that is, figure out who created the source, when it was created, and so on.
3. The ability to obtain information about the authority of the source and to assess that authority in light of other evidence.
4. The ability to set sources in their proper chronological order and to understand why that ordering is important.
5. The ability to construct an original argument based upon evidence from various sources.
6. The ability to recognize the strangeness of the past without being put off by that strangeness.
7. The ability to make comparative judgments about evidence.
8. The ability to recognize what one does not or cannot know from the evidence at hand.
9. The ability to understand that events are understood differently by different people.
10. The ability to triangulate between and among sources.
11. The ability to ask probing questions—not just what happened, but why did it happen this way and why didn’t it happen that way?
12. The ability to recognize the role of causality.
13. The ability to critique evidence both on its own terms and in terms of its value to a larger analytical project.
14. The ability to recognize lines of argument in historical thought.
15. The ability to present the past in clear ways, whether in writing or in other media, saying what can be said and not saying what cannot.”

Also helpful when reading the news.

True. What is history, after all, but the news of yesterday?

*Those in red here are ones I find lacking in high school AP classes, of which the history ones are usually pretty good compared to normal history classes.

[Hastur]

A lot of useful points in general. Applicable to a lot of situations. What value, for example, would you attribute to a statement starting with:
"97% of historians agree that..."

[Penner]

A lot of useful points in general. Applicable to a lot of situations. What value, for example, would you attribute to a statement starting with:
"97% of historians agree that..."

And that is why learning History or any other Liberal Art subject isn't totally useless.

[Okeefenokee]

Taking history of the roman republic to meet my global cultures requirement at UT this fall. I think I'm about half way to a history minor.

[katarn]

Taking history of the roman republic to meet my global cultures requirement at UT this fall. I think I'm about half way to a history minor.

Good choice. 753 to 27, or a more narrow frame?

[TheReal_ND]

I have a question for all the aloof scholars that still post here. How highly is eye witness testimony valued by them?

[heydaralon]

17. The ability to think about old shit.

[Okeefenokee]

Taking history of the roman republic to meet my global cultures requirement at UT this fall. I think I'm about half way to a history minor.

Good choice. 753 to 27, or a more narrow frame?

idk. we'll probably talk mostly about black queer gender studies.

[katarn]

Taking history of the roman republic to meet my global cultures requirement at UT this fall. I think I'm about half way to a history minor.

Good choice. 753 to 27, or a more narrow frame?

idk. we'll probably talk mostly about black queer gender studies.

Those work better with the Empire. Hadrian and Elagabalus for the win (loss for the empire in the latter case).