Readings in Philippine History

Module 1: Assessment

To study the past, it needs subjectivity to connect the dots and to make one firm

conclusion. And along the process of investigations of the past interpretations of historians, it

might have at least a small part or element of subjectivity that entered. It is because not all

evidence of history is already present. Some evidence is either destroyed or not finished. We

know that subjectivity is unavoidable but still, historians should minimize their biases in

conducting historical research.

A historian can minimize his biases in conducting historical research in many ways and

strategies. First, a historian must first understand what bias is, as well as its various forms and

manifestations. He must be aware of what, where, and how to avoid bias. Knowing the types of

biases helps the historian be cautious while making conclusions and interpretations that may be

expressed in writing. Second, in order to distill the information and evidence he gathered, he

should apply scientific research, techniques, models, methodologies, tools, and appropriate

approaches and avoid generalization as possible when writing. He should also try to expand his

social circle so that his interpretations won't be simply dependent on his own experiences. With

this, he will be able to weigh a variety of possibilities using useful and trustworthy information

and select the appropriate or more favorable interpretation. In addition, in order for the historian

to feel more confident that his interpretations and what he has found are accurate, all the

resources, papers, artifacts, or other types of evidence must also be vetted and validated by the

historian. Avoid asking the wrong questions, conducting the wrong surveys, and relying on

unreliable sources and documentation. He should target the appropriate demographic for his

goals and research.

 While seeking the truth, even if history is subjective, a historian should not ignore the

idea of objectivity. If new information becomes available during an investigation, historians

should discard their prior theories and create a new one that better fits the available empirical

data.

LIST OF REFERENCES:
Scholarly voice: Avoiding bias. Academic Guides. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2022, from
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/scholarlyvoice/avoidingbias
Everson, Z. (2022, October 29). Checks & Imbalances: Ivanka Trump’s Mortgage, MAGA Inc.’s
Donations. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacheverson/2022/10/29/checks--imbalances-
ivanka-trumps-mortgage-maga-incs-donations/?sh=645254f312c3