ROLE OF BIAS IN HISTORICAL WRITING

ROLE OF BIAS IN HISTORICAL WRITING

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Role of Bias in Historical Writing

Even though bias may be inappropriate in historical writing, it may be difficult to avoid it. In terms of the sources located and selected for the respective paper, it became evident that bias was present due to the effects of the subject matter in discussion. Simply, the topic that was discussed was influential in determining the information that would be selected and utilized for the research paper (Woolf et al. 2011, 101). To a significant extent, bias is an inherent aspect in man. In confidence, a particular historian may declare a fact despite such information being better than his or her remarks, observation, and opinion (Woolf et al. 2011, 101). Interestingly, the information that the historian utilizes are the outcomes of value judgments not specifically compelled by the truth but deriving from his or her mental constitution. Since it may be difficult to support or rationalize the statements established by the historian via scientific evidence, it is possible to argue that bias will always be recurrent in terms of historical writing (Woolf et al. 2011, 112).

In fact, since the notion of history largely comprises reflective thought, then the knowledge that disseminates from it may actually possess a bout of bias or subjectivity (Woolf et al. 2011, 123). Nonetheless, while bias in the context of historical writing may be inevitable, it is also important for the historian to assume a considerable role especially in establishing objectivity and averting partiality as much as possible. This is because much of the information that people possess originates significantly from past events (Woolf et al. 2011, 92). In fact, knowledge that is derived particularly from history is not clearly intuitive since it is taken from a decisive assessment of source material (Woolf et al. 2011, 102). Hence, in the context of applying these ‘facts’, historians should ensure such information is reviewed by more references from the resources utilized.

Bibliography

Woolf, D. R., Stuart Macintyre, Juan Maiguashca, and Attila Pók. The Oxford History of Historical Writing: Volume 4. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.