PS390 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Solipsism, Johann Gustav Droysen, Friedrich Schleiermacher
Document Summary
Historiography: the philosophy, history, and methods of history as a scholarly pursuit. Definition (1): the record of chronicle of past events. In history, a complete chronological account is impossible as one always filters events through cultural-historical lenses (selecting meaningful events to record depends on both objective and subjective criteria) What is considered an important observation or interpretation is based on consensus of experts, which itself entails subjectivity. Definition (2): the interpretation of the record of past events in order to understand them. Always depends on the interpreter"s present horizon of understanding. Complete subjectivity produces solipsism (philosophical notion, nothing beyond "me" exists, everything in the world is "my" invention, today this would be considered psychopathological) Hermeneutics: the discipline in which scholars develop understandings of interpretations. Historical data: published works, letters, archival material, oral records, objects, instruments, films etc. Emilio betti (1890-1968) said interpretation is the procedure that evokes understanding.
