Source Criticism Basics
Source criticism is the argument itself, not a preliminary stage. Every source has a purpose and a direction of bias.
| Question | What It Examines | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Chronicle, charter, letter, report | Sets conventions and distortions |
| Distance | Eyewitness vs. late compiler | Alters reliability |
| Audience | Private vs. public dispatch | Shapes content |
Unwitting testimony is what a source takes for granted—often its best part. Silence requires deciding if it is absence, filtering, or physics.
Pitfall: Counting dependent sources. Three sources agreeing are worthless if all copied the same lost ancestor. Independence requires separate causal paths.
Weighing and Writing
Testimony against interest is the core rule. When a source admits something inconvenient (a tax exemption, a defeat), that report is unusually strong.
| Conflict Pattern | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Diverge on interests | The divergence is the finding |
| Agree on mundane, differ on significant | Normal shape of political events |
| Purposeless detail | Often the most trustworthy part |
Honest writing distinguishes "the record shows" from "it is likely" and "I suspect."
Pitfall: Filling gaps with fluency. Say what the evidence cannot settle rather than hiding weak foundations.