W. Richardson
Captain
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2011
- Location
- Mt. Gilead, North Carolina
americancivilwar.com/authors/Joseph_Ryan/Articles/Lincoln-Instigated-War/The-Buried-Fact-Record.html
Respectfully,
William
Respectfully,
William
Something tells me that the people who refer to Rhea as a "part time historian" and such are not going to hold that against Joe Ryan, but the people who have studied this in depth will notice its resemblance to other demolished arguments.
Ryan's attempts to treat the subject like it was a court case before a jury where his job is to make a believable-sounding argument instead of like a historian whose job is to report the facts weakens an already dubious proposition.
americancivilwar.com/authors/Joseph_Ryan/Articles/Lincoln-Instigated-War/The-Buried-Fact-Record.html
Respectfully,
William
I have not read Godwin's work, so I have no intention of claiming anything on it in particular.
You don't think historians interpret the past and argue their point of view?
You don't think historians interpret the past and argue their point of view?
Making a cat wear a tinfoil hat? Now that's just not cool.
What Ryan is doing is akin to selling something, not interpretation of the past.
No. Historians present the past and explain why events occurred the way they did by presenting evidence- if it must be argued it's because they're busy shoving dead red fish under the sofa with one foot.
I am not speaking of Ryan's article; I am talking about the study and writing of history in general. Historians do not just recite facts. They interpret those facts and then present them, often in the form of a thesis statement or argument, defended with evidence.
Often historians do present their work to a reader as an attorney would make a case to a jury.
americancivilwar.com/authors/Joseph_Ryan/Articles/Lincoln-Instigated-War/The-Buried-Fact-Record.html
Respectfully,
William