Discuss the roles of language and reason in history

8/12/2019 Discuss the roles of language and reason in history

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Aly Ihab Gohar Candidate number: 000528 - 02015/12/2010 Theory of knowlede e!!ay

"i!#u!! the role! of lanuae and rea!on in hi!tory

In our ne$er-endin !ear#h for knowlede% the &a!t i! a really !uitable &la#e to look be#au!e the

&a!t i! #ertain and fi'ed( )o matter what we do% we #an*t #hane it( +e#au!e of thi!% &eo&le often

a!!ume that hi!tory i! ob,e#ti$e and #on$ey! #ertain truth( +ut doe! it really .ur na$e belief i!

that hi!tory i! !im&ly the !tudy of the &a!t% yet in reality% hi!tory i! di!tinui!hable into two main

#ateorie!( ir!t there i! hi!tory a! the !erie! of all &a!t e$ent!% about the $a!t ma,ority of whi#h

we #an ha$e no knowlede a! there i! no re#ord of them% and about the re!t of whi#h we #an

know relati$ely little in that the re#ord of them i! both &artial in the !en!e of in#om&lete and

&artial in the !en!e of bia!ed( e#ond% there i! hi!tory a! the a#ademi# inuiry #arried out by

hi!torian!*1%whi#h i! ba!ed on thi! doubly &artial re#ord( 3hat thi! mean! i! that there i! an

unbrideable di!tin#tion between the &a!t% whi#h i! immutable and mo!tly unknowable% and ourknowlede of the &a!t% whi#h i! neither of the!e(

In order for our knowlede of the &a!t to be a! a##urate a! &o!!ible% it !hould ideally be

ob,e#ti$e% meanin that theorie! on hi!tori#al e$ent! !hould oriinate !olely from the e$iden#e

a$ailable% whi#h mu!t it!elf be #he#ked for a##ura#y% a! far a! &o!!ible( 4owe$er% e$en if a

hi!torian i! a! ob,e#ti$e a! &o!!ible in hi! work% there will !till be a #ertain le$el of !ub,e#ti$ity

due to other fa#tor!% !u#h a! the way in whi#h a hi!torian!* !ub,e#ti$e emotional rea#tion toward

their !ub,e#t of inuiry will ine$itably affe#t their lanuae and rea!onin( Thi! will% in turn%affe#t our own $iew! when readin or hearin6 their #on#lu!ion!(

7anuae i! the !erie! of rule-o$erned !ymbol! !&oken% written or e$en e!tured6 that allow u!

to #on$ey the thin we #all meanin*2( Therefore% lanuae i! e!!ential in order to fa#ilitate the

e'i!ten#e of hi!tory% be#au!e without it% &eo&le would not ha$e any mean! by whi#h to tran!fer

knowlede of the &a!t( or e'am&le% the hi!tory of &re-4elleni!ti# an#ient 9y&t would be

mo!tly a blank had hi!torian! not di!#o$ered and de#i&hered the o!etta !tone( Con$er!ely%

detailed knowlede of an#ient #i$ili;ation! !u#h a! tho!e of the ?ohn


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information and ha$e to make a !ele#tion from the a$ailable e$iden#e*@( A#ademi# hi!torian!

tend to be !&e#ifi# and detailed in their hi!tori#al re!ear#h% and to an!wer narrow ue!tion! !u#h

a! 4ow did the Arab-I!raeli war of 1FHE affe#t border ten!ion! in the middle-ea!tern reion* or

4ow did the 1FE@ Arab-I!raeli 3ar alter the &oliti#al relation!hi& between 9y&t and the Dnited

tate!* .f #our!e% in order to an!wer !u#h ue!tion!% hi!torian! mu!t fir!t a#knowlede the

!im&le% ba!i#% ob,e#ti$e fa#t! of the &a!t% !u#h a! how lon ea#h of the!e war! la!ted% how many

#a!ualtie! and fatalitie! there were on ea#h !ide and the areement! made in the &ea#e treatie!

that ended them( 4owe$er% a! they be#ome more and more !&e#ifi#% hi!torian! will only u!e

hi!tori#al re!our#e! that they #on!ider !inifi#ant to their !tudie!( Thi! i! the rea!on why $ariou!

!tudie! of the!e two war! differ !ub!tantially% de&endin on the to&i# and fo#u! of ea#h hi!torian(

.ther information may well be #ru#ial in their re!ear#h% yet it i! the de#i!ion of the hi!torian

whether to u!e it or not( Therefore% it #an be !aid that hi!tory i! inelu#tably bia!ed% e$en if thi! i!

!ometime! an un#on!#iou! bia! that the hi!torian i! not aware of and !o #ould not &re$ent( )o

matter how hard we try% we #an ne$er be truly ob,e#ti$e when we tou#h &en to &a&er about any

matter that in$ol$e! the detailed re#on!tru#tion of indi$idual intention!% whi#h hi!tory almo!t

alway! doe!(

It i! #ru#ial to i$e at lea!t one e'am&le of tho!e unfortunate #a!e! where &eo&le ha$e

intentionally #haned hi!tory by both outriht alterin the fa#t! and by u!in lanuae that

ro!!ly mani&ulate! reader!* rea!on throuh e$okin emotion( A &erfe#t e'am&le of thi! #an be

!een in talin*! D( )ot #ontent with liuidatin hi! &oliti#al o&&onent!% talin !ouht to

era!e them from hi!tori#al re#ord!*( talin #haned the hi!tory of u!!ia% and tauht hi! $er!ion

of it in !#hool! around the #ountry% di#tatin a fi#titiou! inter&retation of the &a!t% whi#h &rai!ed

and hihlihted u!!ia*! and hi! own a#hie$ement! and !u##e!!e!% and di!reardin u!!ia*!

lo!!e! and hi! own mi!deed! and mi!take!( Berha&! it i! worth mentionin in thi! #onte't too that

in 200% ladimir Butin had the 20 th#entury hi!tory te'tbook for u!!ian !e#ondary !#hool!%

whi#h had been in u!e !in#e 1FF2% re&la#ed with one that lorifie! talin*! rule% &lay! down theatro#itie! of the Gula !y!tem and ne$er e$en mention! the ?ewi!h 4olo#au!t and &re!ent! the

ir!t and e#ond Che#hen 3ar! a! !trule! aain!t terrori!m% in whi#h the u!!ian military ha!

&erformed im&e##ably(

@an de 7aemaat% i#hard( Theory of =nowlede*( >Cambride Dni$er!ity Bre!!% 2005( B@11Ibid% an de 7aemaat( B@05

@


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inally% one la!t way in whi#h hi!tory i! affe#ted by lanuae i! that for mo!t of it only the elite%

hih-#a!te or u&&er-#la!! member! of &a!t #ommunitie! were edu#ated and literate( .ther

member! of the!e #ommunitie!% !u#h a! !oldier!% !la$e! and &ea!ant! almo!t uni$er!ally were

not( Therefore it #an be !aid that the &rimary !our#e! from whi#h hi!torian! deri$e their

#on#lu!ion! on hi!tory are innately !o#ially bia!ed( Tho!e who were able to read and write were

able to re#ord their hi!tory% but in almo!t all #a!e!% only from their &er!&e#ti$e% while the

illiterate or ill edu#ated ha$e di!a&&eared% and #ontinue to di!a&&ear% without a tra#e( J3e will

&robably ne$er know how Greek !la$e!% or feudal &ea!ant!% or A;te# warrior! !aw the world(

Althouh their !torie! may be irredeemably lo!t% it i! at lea!t worth bein aware of the blank

&ae! in hi!toryK5(

Word count: 1464

5Ibid% an de 7aemaat( B@0F


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Bibliography:

Al#hin% )i#hola!( Theory of =nowlede*( ?ohn

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Discuss the roles of language and reason in history