Instead, Becker argues that historical facts can only exist in the minds of individuals—individuals who are subject to bias and deficiencies in memory, which then carry on in what they believe to be reality. Although these critiques are vital to keep in mind when researching history, Becker’s overly cynical point of view brings up issues of its own. He does touch on some of the positive sides to his case, particularly the mention of historiography and the insinuation of freedom to interpretation. Nonetheless, Becker chooses to forgo additional analyses of these subjects, and, as both he and Howard Zinn stated, there is no value in not properly acknowledging facts essential to a bigger whole, whether it is through omitting them or “[burying] them in a mass of other information.”
Instead, Becker argues that historical facts can only exist in the minds of individuals—individuals who are subject to bias and deficiencies in memory, which then carry on in what they believe to be reality. Although these critiques are vital to keep in mind when researching history, Becker’s overly cynical point of view brings up issues of its own. He does touch on some of the positive sides to his case, particularly the mention of historiography and the insinuation of freedom to interpretation. Nonetheless, Becker chooses to forgo additional analyses of these subjects, and, as both he and Howard Zinn stated, there is no value in not properly acknowledging facts essential to a bigger whole, whether it is through omitting them or “[burying] them in a mass of other information.”