Description
Book SynopsisProposes a practical, workable philosophy of history for our times, one that is robust and realistic
Trade Review"Hoffer expands the theory of history beyond its usual narrow confines. A readable and instructive book on a complex topic." * Choice *
"A rattlingly good read….[S]trongly recommend[ed]…in any teaching context where students of history are being asked to reflect philosophically upon the nature of their subject." * American Historical Review *
"Hoffer has a knack for using contemporary situations that will eventually be topics for historical writing." -- Claire Potter,Wesleyan University
"[C]onsistently amusing and edifying throughout. [Hoffer] demonstrates an extraordinary mastery of a wide variety of materials. Hes a mature historian at peak form." -- Peter Onuf,author of The Mind of Thomas Jefferson
"The Historians’ Paradox can be read with profit by practitioners and graduate students because it is more insightful, better balanced, and more concise then most recent books on the nature of the historical enterprise." * The Journal of American History *
Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Why History Is Impossible, Yet Necessary All the Same 1 It Would Be Logical to Assume 2 What's Wrong with This Argument? 3 Historians and the Loaded Question 4 Cause for Alarm 5 One of Us Is Lying 6 The Politics of History and History in Politics 7 Historians in the Marketplace 8 Uncertainties 9 Historians Confront the Problem of Evil ConclusionA Bridge to the Past Glossary A Very Brief Bibliographical Essay Index About the Author
