easy · Enhanced ACT reading
Analyze the following micro-passage regarding Historiography: Historian A: We must view historical figures through the lens of their own era. To judge a nineteenth-century leader by twenty-first-century moral standards is 'presentism,' an analytical error that obscures true historical understanding.
Historian B: While context is vital, universal human rights are not subject to the calendar. If a leader's actions caused systemic suffering, the historian's duty is to name that injustice, regardless of whether it was socially acceptable at the time.
Which statement best summarizes Historian B's likely response to the 'presentism' argument?
- Historian B would suggest that nineteenth-century leaders were actually more moral than modern leaders give them credit for.
- Historian B would agree that judging historical figures is an error that leads to a shallow understanding of the past.
- Historian B would insist that Historian A is ignoring the specific legislative context that governed nineteenth-century behavior.
- Historian B would argue that some moral truths are timeless and should override the historical context of a figure's actions.
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