Leopold Van Ranke: History of the Latin and Teutonic Races: Introduction
Van Ranke begins his introduction by limiting his scope for the sake of narrative clarity. The historian acknowledges forces outside Western Europe impacted its development, but chooses to omit them for the sake of clarity.
In perhaps the most famous line of his many works, Van Ranke dismisses the historian's attempt to "teach the past to instruct the present and so they may profit from the future." For Van Ranke, this school of thought makes historical research completely subjective on the chance morality of the evaluator.
One can teach history "as it happened" because an informed observer can read the memoirs, diaries, letters diplomatic dispatches and first hand accounts of eye-witnesses to construct a picture of political and diplomatic history. For Van Ranke, every specialist from every year looking at every event would reach the same conclusion. Unlike laboratory scientists, we cannot run and rerun simulations on past events to isolate exactly how something happened and why. What we can do, for Van Ranke, is locate through rigorous research and documentation a reliable record of the past. He uses the term "highest law" to describe "a strict representation of the facts, however narrowly circumscribed or ugly they may be."
Rather than focusing on imparting the moral lessons from the past or teleology, Van Ranke believes "The lofty ideal of historical presentation is to present events themselves to the limit of human comprehension." He doubts his own capacity to meet this standard, but believes it is attainable.
Van Ranke begins his introduction by limiting his scope for the sake of narrative clarity. The historian acknowledges forces outside Western Europe impacted its development, but chooses to omit them for the sake of clarity.
In perhaps the most famous line of his many works, Van Ranke dismisses the historian's attempt to "teach the past to instruct the present and so they may profit from the future." For Van Ranke, this school of thought makes historical research completely subjective on the chance morality of the evaluator.
One can teach history "as it happened" because an informed observer can read the memoirs, diaries, letters diplomatic dispatches and first hand accounts of eye-witnesses to construct a picture of political and diplomatic history. For Van Ranke, every specialist from every year looking at every event would reach the same conclusion. Unlike laboratory scientists, we cannot run and rerun simulations on past events to isolate exactly how something happened and why. What we can do, for Van Ranke, is locate through rigorous research and documentation a reliable record of the past. He uses the term "highest law" to describe "a strict representation of the facts, however narrowly circumscribed or ugly they may be."
Rather than focusing on imparting the moral lessons from the past or teleology, Van Ranke believes "The lofty ideal of historical presentation is to present events themselves to the limit of human comprehension." He doubts his own capacity to meet this standard, but believes it is attainable.
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