History consists of a corpus ascertained facts. The facts are available to the historian in documents, inscriptions and so on, like fish in the fishmonger's slab. The historian collects them, takes them home, and cooks and serves them in whatever style appeals to him.
What distinguishes the historian from the collector of historical facts is generalization.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Historians analyze and interpret historical events, while collectors simply gather facts.
In this quote, Edward Hallett Carr emphasizes that historians go beyond merely collecting data about past events; they actively engage in the process of interpreting and generalizing these facts to derive meaningful insights. This ability to generalize is what distinguishes historians, as it requires a deeper understanding of context, causality, and the broader implications of history, making it a discipline of thought rather than just a compilation of information.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on the importance of historical analysis, I might say, 'As Edward Hallett Carr noted, what distinguishes the historian from the collector of historical facts is generalization.'
More from Edward Hallett Carr
All quotes βHistory is the long struggle of man, by exercise of his reason, to understand his environment and to act upon it. But the modern period has broadened the struggle in a revolutionary way. Man now seeks to understand, and act on, not only his environment, but himself; and this has added, so to speak, a new dimension to reason and a new dimension to history.
Similar quotes
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