Yes, this may be a little esoteric, but it's something that I have recently pondered.
Is the purpose of a historian to ensure that the significant events of the past will not be forgotten or to explain the present in terms of the past?
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Comments
the purpose, or the role?
the purposes, or the roles?
Posted by: stylus on Monday, April 10, 2006
The purpose of a historian depends on his point of view.
-Leopold von Ranke
Posted by: Thucydides on Monday, April 10, 2006
Purpose in the abstract or in the ideal. For example, the purpose of a historian is not to distort the past in order to preserve the position of the powerful.
Posted by: CJ Costello on Monday, April 10, 2006