Values, Objectivity, and Explanation in Historiography

Front matter

ROUTLEDGE APPROACHES TO HISTORY

Values, Objectivity, and

Explanation in Historiography

PART I Objectivity, Values, and Theory Choice

1 Participants and Fellow Travelers: The Left, the Soviet Union, and the Fall of Objectivism 2 Court Historian: Matters of Fact 3 Witches Cannot Fly: A Critique of the Notion of Situated Truths 4 In Defense of Objectivity: Facts and Theory Choice in Historiography PART II

The Ideal Explanatory Text in History: A Plea for Ecumenism

Mentality as a Social Emergent: Can the Zeitgeist Have Explanatory Power?

XI vill

Contents

Acts of God?

Miracles and Scientific Explanation

Index

150 168

Preface

This book stems from a longtime interest in the philosophy of history, which since the turn of the century has resulted in the publication of various articles: some in English, others in Norwegian. Three of the Norwegian articles (Chapters 1, 3, and 8), published in, respectively, Historisk tidsskrift and Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning, have been translated and are made available to an international audience in this book, along with three articles from History and Theory (Chapters 5, 6, and 7). The Norwegian articles have been thoroughly revised to make them accessible to international readers. In these and the other previously published articles I have corrected mistakes and included references to newer literature when pertinent. Two chapters (2 and 4), as well as the Introduction, have been written specifically for the present volume.

My main themes are classics in the theory of history: objectivity, values, truth, explanation, causality, narrativity, and methodological individualism—issues that do not go away, although several may have gone out of fashion for some time. This book is an attempt to show their continued relevance and to provide fresh answers to questions to which fully satisfactory responses have been lacking. Although written over a span of sixteen years, I believe the essays that form the chapters of this book exhibit a certain coherence: thematically as well as with regard to points of view. Still the book is composed with an eye to the possibility that not everybody will read the whole text. Each chapter (except Chapter 2, which is a sequel to Chapter 1) is therefore formatted in a fashion that enables it to stand on its own. A consequence is some repetition; for example, scholars whose views are discussed in several chapters, such as C.G. Hempel or Thomas Kuhn, are introduced several times.

Over the years I have piled up debts to colleagues and friends who have aided my efforts to master theoretical topics far removed from the Cold War history in which I was educated. I want to thank my old supervisors Nils Petter Gleditsch and Helge Pharo, who have watched and assisted my journey from the study of economic warfare to the philosophy of history. So, too, has my first university teacher, Erik Stoveland. Being a philosopher and a teacher of God’s grace, as well as a longtime friend, he is probably the one person who, unwittingly, has done the most to inspire the present work, and I dedicate this book to him.

x Preface

One person has been by my side through all the years I have been working on theoretical matters and has been a constant source of intellectual sparring as well as love: Hanne Monclair. Her reading being wide, her mind agile, and her enthusiasm considerable, her suggestions would have been deserving of more forthcoming responses than I have been able to give. So the least I can do is take this opportunity to give her my heartfelt thanks.

I also wish to thank advisors, friends, and colleagues who over the years have provided comments, ideas, or aid of various kinds. They include Pal Andreassen, Brian Fay, Karen Gammelgaard, Olav Gjelsvik, Stale Gundersen, Finn Erhard Johannessen, Pal Kolsto, Thomas Lystfell, C. Behan McCullagh, Raino Malnes, Klaus Nathaus, Kim Priemel, Peter Railton, Paul Roth, Hilde Sandvik, Erling Sandmo, Kristian Steinnes, and Kai Ostberg.

Stig Oppedal has translated the articles that form the basis of Chapters 1, 3, and 8. I am grateful to him and to Louise D. Hylin and Mari Salberg for research assistance with the articles that make up Chapter 1. For the purpose of the present book I have had the great fortune of being assisted by Henrik Olav Mathiesen, who in his knowledgeable, hardworking and meticulous way has been essential in preparing the manuscript. The list of his many tasks includes helping me with literature, preparing the index, correcting errors, and trying (with less success than he deserved) to keep my number of metaphors down. The contributions by him and the others mentioned previously—as well as unnamed colleagues at the University of Oslo and anonymous peer reviewers—have made this book much better than I could have done on my own. For the shortcomings and mistakes that remain, I alone am responsible.

University of Oslo, August 2016

Chapter 1 is a translated and revised version of the article “Deltaker og medlgper: Venstresiden, Sovjetunionen og objektivismens fall,” published in Historisk tidsskrift (Oslo) 89, no. 4 (2010): 521-546. The chapter has been augmented with parts of my reply, “Vitenskap, verdier og venstrehistorikere: Tilsvar til Narve Fulsas og Hallvard Tjelmeland,” published in Historisk tidsskrift (Oslo) 90, no. 2 (2011): 235-246.

Chapter 3 is a translated and revised version of the article “Det er ikke sant alt som glimrer: En kritikk av forestillingen om situerte sannheter og moralens primat,” published in Historisk tidsskrift (Oslo) 79, no. 1 (2000): 100-117. The chapter has been augmented with parts of my reply, “Ekte poststrukturalister bryr seg ikke om virkeligheten: Gjensvar til Erling Sandmo om sannhet og kulturhistorie,” published in Historisk tidsskrift (Oslo) 79, no. 4 (2000): 509-521.

Chapter 5 has been previously published as “The Ideal Explanatory Text in History: A Plea for Ecumenism,” in History and Theory 43, no. 3 (2004): 321-340.

Chapter 6 has been previously published as “Mentality as a Social Emergent: Can the Zeitgeist Have Explanatory Power?,” in History and Theory 47, no. 1 (2008): 44-56.

Chapter 7 is a revised version of the article “Acts of God? Miracles and Scientific Explanation,” published in History and Theory 47, no. 4 (2008): 483-494. It is augmented with parts of my reply, “Historiography without God: A Reply to Gregory,” published in History and Theory 47, no. 4 (2008): 520-532.

Chapter 8 is a translated and revised version of the article “Arsaksproblemer i historisk forskning,” published in Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning 54, no. 3 (2013): 355-370.

I gratefully acknowledge the support of the Research Council of Norway for the translation of the articles that form the basis of chapters 1, 3, and 8.