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Knowledge in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Quick questions on Causation and narrative in history explained: H2 Knowledge and Inquiry
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the distinctive situation of history?Show answer
History faces constraints absent in physics. The past cannot be observed directly; it is inferred from incomplete and sometimes biased evidence (documents, artefacts, testimony). Historians cannot run controlled experiments, and they rarely appeal to strict general laws. They must select which facts matter from an unmanageably large past, and they present their findings as narratives that impose structure and significance.
What is the sceptical worry?Show answer
Putting selection, perspective and narrative together generates a sceptical worry: if historians must select what matters, interpret meaning, and impose narrative structure, perhaps history is construction rather than discovery, and rival narratives merely express the preferences of their authors. On this view there is no fact of the matter beyond the stories, and historical objectivity is an illusion.
What is q1?Show answer
State three features of history that seem to threaten its objectivity. [6 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Explain how counterfactual reasoning helps historians establish causes. [8 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Explain why the plurality of historical narratives does not entail that history is purely subjective. [6 marks]
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