Revisiting Controversies: An Epistemological Reading of History

Abstract

The historical dimension of all social knowledge, and why not say it, of the most important natural theories, such as those that refer to the origin of the universe, to the evolution of living organisms, and to life on our planet, makes the question of historical knowledge not an ornamental addition but an essential one for epistemological reflection. To demystify some discussions, I intend to revise dichotomies of opposed concepts in different historiographic positions so as to analyze whether these dichotomies, from the epistemological point of view, represent insurmountable abysses, unbridgeable ruptures, or, on the other hand, can be constitutive parts of surpassing positions. The problems of content, method, and style will be taken into consideration as axes to organize the most fertile controversies that have occurred in the historical field.