Part of yesterdays post was about finding truth amongst a plethora of information. Historians are faced with similar problems. According to James W. Loewen in “Lies My Teacher Told Me,” there are five questions you should keep in mind.
- Why was the article written?
- Whose viewpoint was presented?
- Is the account believable?
- Is the account backed up by other sources?
- How are you supposed to feel after reading or examining the piece?
If you have good answers to these questions, then you have a good sense of what types of biases can creep into the piece, and cloud the path to the facts and ultimately the truth. Application of these questions is left as an exercise for the reader.
