The one argument on behalf of counterfactuals is they produce a useful Brechtian estrangement effect, de-naturalizing familiar history
@carloshasanax I think the big figure who has helped discredit the methodology is probably Niall Ferguson.
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@HeerJeet The disdain was present before Ferguson's rise, trust me. It requires a lot of work to do rigorously, but so many are slapdash. -
@carloshasanax Disdain partially comes from deep Rankian roots of professional history, which prize archival research & distrust theory. - Show replies
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@HeerJeet When it's done well, however, it illuminates historical factors that might not be apparent in standard narratives. -
@carloshasanax Well, as I've argued elsewhere, all valuable history is implicitly counterfactual.
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