How do historians, comparative linguists, biblical and textual critics and evolutionary biologists establish beliefs about the past? How do they know the past? This book presents a philosophical analysis of the disciplines that offer scientific knowledge of the past. Using the analytic tools of cont...

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Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Tucker, Aviezer 1965- (Author)
Format:	Electronic eBook
Language:	English
Published:	Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2004
Subjects:	Geschichte Philosophie Historiography History / Philosophy Geschichtsschreibung Geschichtsphilosophie
Online Access:	BSB01 UBG01 Volltext
Summary:	How do historians, comparative linguists, biblical and textual critics and evolutionary biologists establish beliefs about the past? How do they know the past? This book presents a philosophical analysis of the disciplines that offer scientific knowledge of the past. Using the analytic tools of contemporary epistemology and philosophy of science the book covers such topics as evidence, theory, methodology, explanation, determination and underdetermination, coincidence, contingency and counterfactuals in historiography. Aviezer Tucker's central claim is that historiography as a scientific discipline should be thought of as an effort to explain the evidence of past events. He also emphasizes the similarity between historiographic methodology to Darwinian evolutionary biology. This is an important, fresh approach to historiography and will be read by philosophers, historians and social scientists interested in the methodological foundations of their disciplines
Item Description:	Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015)
Physical Description:	1 online resource (vii, 291 pages)
ISBN:	9780511498381
DOI:	10.1017/CBO9780511498381