Peace, Force & Joy

| Prologue | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three |

The objective of our work is to elucidate the necessary prerequisites for the scientific grounding of Historiology. Clearly to claim scientificity, about historical events is not enough. Neither is the accompaniment of investigation with resources granted by new technologies today. Certainly such discipline would not become a science by simply wanting it to be so, by making ingenious contributions, or by obtaining sufficient informative achievements, but by threshing out the difficulties presented by an ordinary questioning (from the origin itself of the problem). This writing does not deal with an ideal or desirable model of historical construction but with the possibility of coherent historical construction.

To be sure, in the present work, "History is not understood in the classical meaning given to the term. In Historia Animalium, we recall them by, such activity became a simple recount of successive events. Then History (or Historiography) became a knowledge of "facts" ordered chronologically, always dependent on available informative materials, sometimes scant, sometimes extremely abundant. But what was disconcerting was when all those portions obtained through investigation were presented as if they were historical reality itself, as of course, the historian did not establish order, set priorities among the information, and structure his account by selecting and expurgating the sources used. Thus he ended by believing that the historiological task was not interpretative.

Today the defenders of such attitude recognize some technical and methodological difficulties, although that they insist that their work is valid because their intention in such respect is dedicated to historical truth (i.e. not to falsify facts) and vigilance over the avoidance of all a priori metaphysical forcing.

Because of the preceding, Historiography has become a sort of dormant ethicism, justified as scientific rigor, which begins by considering historical phenomena viewed from "outside" disregarding the historian's "look" and, therefore, his distortion.

Obviously we shall not adopt the position mentioned. For us, it will be of great interest to make an interpretation of History, better yet a philosophy of History, that would go beyond simple recount (or beyond simple "chronicle", as B. Croce ironically remarked). In any case, we shall ignore the supposition that such philosophy must be based on sociology, a theology or even a psychology, for such an intellectual construction that accompanies the historiographical task to be minimally conscious.

To end this: we shall use the term "Historiology" instead of "Historiography" or "History", since the last two terms have been used by many authors with implications so diverse that their meanings have become erroneous today. Regarding the first, the term "historiology", we shall adopt the meaning that Ortega gave it.1 On the other hand, the word "history" (in lower case) shall refer to the historical fact, not to the science in question.

Mendoza (Argentina), August 1989
Chapter One

The Humanist Movement's Distant Adoption Program for Kenya.
If you have questions or comments about this Web site, contact webmaster

About us | Joining Humanist  | News & Events | Sitemap | Other Links

Contact us | Our Guest Book | Terms & Conditions | Home | New @ Humanist Kenya

 © 2001 The Humanist Movement, Kenya.  All Rights Reserved. Site Developed by Lawrence Waithaka