Abstract
This paper tries to motivate three desiderata for historical epistemologies: (a) that they should be reflective about the pedigree of their conceptual apparatus; (b) that they must face up to the potentially relativistic consequences of their historicism; and (c) that they must not forget the hard-won lessons of microhistory (i.e. historical events must be explained causally; historical events must not be artificially divided into internal/intellectual and external/social “factors” or “levels”; and constructed series of homogenous events must not be treated as quasi-organisms). Ian Hacking’s work on styles of reasoning and Lorraine Daston’s and Peter Galison’s investigation into epistemic virtues are used to identify the costs of neglecting these desiderata.
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Acknowledgments
I am indebted to Uljana Feest and Thomas Sturm for organising the conference that provided me with the challenge to write this paper. For comments, questions and suggestions I am grateful to Raine Daston, Sarah Gore-Cortes, Ian Hacking, Jeff Kochan, Simon Schaffer, Catherine Wilson, and two anonymous referees.
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Kusch, M. Reflexivity, Relativism, Microhistory: Three Desiderata for Historical Epistemologies. Erkenn 75, 483–494 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10670-011-9336-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10670-011-9336-5