Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Perspective on History. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page research paper/essay that discusses presentism and historicism in terms offered by Norman J. Wilson in his book History in Crisis? The writer argues in favor of historicism and explains the reasoning behind this decision. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khpohis.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
J. Wilson in his text History in Crisis? Recent Directions in Historiography. While the student researching this topic is encouraged to express a personal opinion when writing her/his paper,
this writer/tutor favors the historicist perspective on the role of history in todays affairs. Presentism is a term that is used to describe the traditional approach to the study
of history, that is, this position views history in terms of how the record of past events indicates a progression through time that has resulted in the attitudes and social
construction of the present. Therefore, this position perceives the past in terms of the present, interpreting the concepts of past eras in light of modern understanding. Historicism, on the
other hand, seeks to understand the past on its own terms and within the context of varying perspectives and interpretations. Wilsons definition of "history" fits with philosophical orientation of
historicism. Wilson writes: History is best defined as a continual, open-ended process of argument, which is constantly changing. No question is closed because any problem can be reopened by
finding new evidence or by taking a new look at old evidence. Thus, there are no final answers, only good, coherent arguments (Wilson 3). As Wilson also points
out, "different perspectives of what happened create different histories" (Wilson 1). The example of the voyages of Christopher Columbus, which Wilson gives in the opening pages of his text
illustrates the difference between presentism and historicism. At 400th anniversary of Columbus "discovering" the New World, Western countries and historians universally saw this event in terms of progress and Christianity
being brought to the "savages" of North and South America. It was viewed as part of the "great scheme of progress from which all benefited" (Wilson 3). However, by the
...