Practice question · Multiple choice
Geschehen is what happened; Geschichte is the account made of it. Why does the distinction matter to a historian who believes the past was perfectly real?
Hints
- Ask what the historian actually has in front of them.
- Does "constructed" mean "made up"?
Show the answer
D. Because the past is reachable only through surviving traces
Why
Realism about the past and constructivism about accounts are compatible. What the distinction rules out is treating a source as a window onto the event rather than a trace of it.
Practise What is History?
The app has 4 more questions on this lesson, and keeps your place in the course. History I is free to start.
More questions on What is History?
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