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Much of the knowledge we believe as accurate facts today is susceptible to being exchanged for new facts in the future. In history, knowledge is considered historical facts. In the human sciences, knowledge refers to scientific findings from that are considered scientific laws, theories, and behaviors. As time progresses, more research and analysis is conducted in history and the human sciences to ensure that the knowledge we “accept” today are accurate, correct in all details. If experts in each area such as psychologists or historians find faults in “accepted knowledge” within their area of knowledge, they will decipher whether the faulty knowledge needs to be totally discarded and replaced with new facts that are evidentially supported to be more accurate. Faults in knowledge may be uncovered by scientific findings in the human sciences or a discovery of new and authentic primary sources in history. The knowledge issues that will be explored pertaining to history are “To what extent does historical knowledge need revision?” and “How might the manipulation of revisionist history restrict one from achieving accurate knowledge?” The knowledge issue to be explored pertaining to the human sciences is “Are there any theories or laws in the human sciences that have withstood the test of time?” I believe that to a small degree history is in need of revision to make sure historical knowledge’s accuracy is maintained, but revisionist history may be easily manipulated. I also believe that in order to increase our knowledge in the human sciences, we must partake in trial and error regarding psychological theories.
Revisionist history isn’t extremely common, but it’s surely not rare. History is revised when scholars find inconsistencies or ...
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.... The more time granted to us in the future allows historians and psychologists to engage in more scientific research and analysis to ensure that what we accept as accurate facts are kept as knowledge and facts that are proved false or inaccurate are discarded. There are dangers of manipulation when it comes to revisionist history, but with proper monitoring revisionist history ensures that our historical knowledge’s accuracy is maintained. We must use approach revising history with extreme caution and skepticism. The human sciences has had its share in correct theories and disproven theories, but the disproven theories also furthered knowledge in the human sciences since new discoveries were soon replaced such as how genetic influence replaced the clean slate theory. We must learn from our mistakes in order to redirect our approach to discovering accurate knowledge.
The word “bias” has always had a negative connotation. Although it is used synonymously with bigotry and prejudice, its meaning is actually more akin to “point of view,” “personal tendency,” or “preference.” Just as every individual has her own worldview, so she has a set of biases. These biases are often observable in a person’s habits, speech, and, perhaps most explicitly, writings. Daniel Boorstin, renowned University of Chicago professor, historian, author, and librarian of Congress, is undeniably biased towards certain cultures in The Discoverers. A book chronicling mankind’s scientific history, its first words are “My hero is Man the Discoverer.” In his telling of “man’s search to know his world and himself,” Boorstin declares that
In the short story “The Man Who Evolved” written by Edmond Hamilton, a mad scientist Pollard evolves to human forms under concentrated cosmic rays. The passage is centrally important to the story, as it hints the potential horror scientists may endure if they do not follow scientific procedures responsibly. In the passage, Hamilton compares the results of the scientific research. Through this comparison, he communicates the overarching idea that even though scientific research on evolution may bring some beneficial effect to human beings, its ultimate result should be carefully considered, as in the story the research creates a mind twisted monster that wants to own the entire world.
The reliability and usefulness of a theory in psychology is extremely important as psychology can deal with very sensitive topics, help implement social policies and treat patients. As psychology is a subject that is involved in a number of areas, the theories that are posited by researchers need to be as accurate as possible. One way to do this is to look back in history and find examples of good scientific practices and understand what made them good.
John Lewis Gaddis, in his book, The Landscape of History, generates a strong argument for the historical method by bringing together the multiple standpoints in viewing history and the sciences. The issue of objective truth in history is addressed throughout Gaddis’s work. In general, historians learn to select the various events that they believe to be valid. Historians must face the fact that there is an “accurate” interpretation of the past ceases to exist because interpretation itself is based on the experience of the historian, in which people cannot observe directly (Gaddis 10). Historians can only view the past in a limited perspective, which generates subjectivity and bias, and claiming a piece of history to be “objective” is simplistic. Seeing the world in a multidimensiona...
History is the study of the past. It is the combination of many different interpretations divided over different languages, cultures, and individuals. It is “fragments of knowledge that we put together” (Bishop). With that said, I believe that new information will disturb the already unstable model of the historical past. This is demonstrated through history’s influence on our emotion and sense perception.
History is repetitive and that requires our constant vigilance to thus pay attention (Stearns). It is proven that in history those who do not st...
"Revisionism means nothing more or less than the effort to correct the historical record in the light of a more complete collection of historical facts, a more calm political atmosphere, and a more objective attitude." (2)
The study of history enables a society to understand the present better, prevent one from thinking the past is always better, and aids in the understanding of human nature. Psychology is an ever changing and evolutionary field. Recent years have presented numerous changes and increasing interest by many individuals, which have been inspired to help enhance the growth of modern psychology (Woodworth, 1918, p. 1). The use of the certain tools that have been deemed to be reliable in the fields of biology and physical sciences have been implemented in modern psychology to aid in the fields' growth to take on an identity of its own (Schultz & Schultz, 2004, p. 2). This paper will discuss the personalistic and naturalistic theory and how the two fields relate to zeitgeist.
The major difference between History and Human science is way in which the scientist uses tools while the historian uses facts and figures. Feyerabend explains that an allegory presented by the human scientist depends on egotism, ideals, and the perspective of other shape of knowledge, and are not enveloped by method, evidence, reason or argument (Anderson 259). There is a big debate to whether social science is actually a science. J.S.Mill believes that while we can justify and discover unpretentious regularities in the physical world, we can also explore the connections between actions thoughts through Mill’s Method on causation (Salmon). This allows us to interpret the change in human behavior over a period of time. Human science can become exact to physical science as human behavior can cause unknowable circumstances (Salmon).
In the past, as well as in current times, both historians and scientists have strived to present knowledge that is free of bias, a prejudice in favor or against one thing, and selection, the act of having a preference when carefully choosing the most suitable thing. In a nutshell, they try their best to present knowledge that is objective and impartial in nature. Nonetheless, there are times, in which the knowledge that they present to us contains certain hints of bias and selection. Hence, the knowledge is to be considered as subjective and representative. With respect to all these, the claim that it is possible to attain knowledge despite problems of bias and selection actually lingers in my mind. I believe that it is, in fact, possible, but, at the same time, I believe that the problems of bias and selection may limit the knowledge that we attain. I am contemplating whether there is anything wrong with knowledge that contains hints of bias and selection and whether knowledge that has been tainted with bias and selection is still worth knowing, so does subjective knowledge render the knowledge irrelevant is the knowledge issue at hand.
Knowledge is rarely considered permanent, because it is constantly changing and adapting as time passes and new discoveries are made. This title roughly translates into the question: to what extent is knowledge provisional? In other words, to what extent does knowledge exist for the present, possibly to be changed in the future? At first glance, one’s mind would immediately stray to the natural sciences, and how theories are constantly being challenged, disproven, and discarded. Because of this, one might be under the impression that knowledge is always provisional because there is always room for improvement; however, there are some cases in which this is not true. There are plenty of ideas and theories that have withstood the test of time, but on the other end of the spectrum there are many that have not. This essay will evaluate the extent to which knowledge is provisional in the areas of the human sciences and history.
Knowledge has a preliminary definition which is that it is justified true belief. Due to its dynamic nature, knowledge is subject to review and revision over time. Although, we may believe we have objective facts from various perceptions over time, such facts become re-interpreted in light of improved evidence, findings or technology and instigates new knowledge. This raises the questions, To what extent is knowledge provisional? and In what ways does the rise of new evidence give us a good reason to discard our old knowledge? This new knowledge can be gained in any of the different areas of knowledge, by considering the two areas of knowledge; History and Natural Sciences, I will be able to tackle these knowledge issues since they both offer more objective, yet regularly updated knowledge, which is crucial in order to explore this statement. I believe that rather than discarding knowledge we build upon it and in doing so access better knowledge, as well as getting closer to the truth.
Knowledge is gained through a myriad of personal experiences through a variety of ways that shapes a person’s understanding. The knowledge we obtain is the culmination of our experiences as we learn what our brain interprets from our senses. Knowledge is the transmission of information that shapes a person’s understanding on a particular topic using a way of knowing. The language used by others to formulate our own ideas and thoughts produce knowledge. The knowledge obtained can either be objective and subjective. The two areas of knowledge, history and arts, are both typically at fault for being inaccurate or bias. The role of history is to study, interpret and analyse the events of the past and relay these findings through language. Language communicates thoughts and ideas through a verbal or written broadcast, thus allowing knowledge to be conveyed. The arts are a broad area of knowledge that communicate knowledge through the manipulation of our sense perceptions that allow us to experience sensations through any of our five senses. The inaccuracies and biases of these areas of knowledge and ways of knowing is due to the pre-set beliefs and values that affect how an artist or a historian chooses to express a particular message to others. Each historian belongs to a school of historiography that holds the belief that an event was due to a specific set of factors and the language used supports this claim. Similarly, artists utilize our sense perceptions to convey a message through a painting. Arts are a broad area of knowledge to i...
Though the past may bring "a revival and restoration of the misery"(Limerick 473), I believe it is necessary to know and study our past. Through this essay I shall explain how knowledge of the past helps improve the quality of future output, satisfy our human thirst for knowledge, and understand certain polices and regulations.
The issues that are raised in this source by Marc Trachtenberg are is whether or not objectivity is still a relevant idea, and if it is not then is history in fact dying. Keith Jenkins' "What is History?," Carl Becker's "What are Historical Facts?" and Richard Evans' "In Defence of History" will be used to discuss and examine these issues.