Histories and Fallacies: Problems Faced in the Writing of History (Trueman)

Author:

Trueman, Carl

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SKU:

9781581349238

Publisher:

Crossway

Pages:

192

Binding:

Paperback

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How do we know the stories told by historians are true? To what extent can we rely on their interpretations of the past?

Histories and Fallacies is a primer on the conceptual and methodological problems in the discipline of history. Historian Carl Trueman presents a series of classic historical problems as a way to examine what history is, what it means, and how it can be told and understood. Each chapter in Histories and Fallacies gives an account of a particular problem, examines classic examples of that problem, and then suggests a solution or approach that will bear fruit for the writer or reader of history.

Readers who follow Trueman’s deft writing will not just be learning theory but will already be practicing fruitful approaches to history. Histories and Fallacies guides both readers and writers of history away from dead ends and methodological mistakes, and into a fresh confidence in the productive nature of the historical task.

Table of Contents:

The Denial of History
Grand Schemes and Misdemeanors
The Past Is a Foreign Country
A Fistful of Fallacies
Concluding Historical Postscript

Appendix: The Reception of Calvin: Historical Considerations

Author

Carl Trueman (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of historical theology and church history and vice president for academic affairs at Westminster Theological Seminary. He has written six books and contributed to numerous publications.

Endorsements

"This is a very good book, full of historiographical wisdom. I recommend it strongly as a sure and encouraging guide to budding historians befuddled by the so-called ‘history wars,’ and to anyone who is interested in the challenges attending those who represent the history of Christian thought." - Douglas Sweeney

"Carl Trueman’s cogent and engaging approach to historiography provides significant examples of problems faced by historians and the kinds of fallacies frequently encountered in historical argumentation. Trueman steers a clear path between problematic and overdrawn conclusions on the one hand and claims of utter objectivity on the other. His illustrations, covering several centuries of Western history, are telling. He offers a combination of careful historical analysis coupled with an understanding of the logical and argumentative pitfalls to which historians are liable that is a service to the field and should provide a useful guide to beginning researchers. A must for courses on research methodology." - Richard Muller