This week, ending in January 19 2017:
Today's thread is for open discussion of:
History in the academy
Historiographical disputes, debates and rivalries
Implications of historical theory both abstractly and in application
Philosophy of history
And so on
Regular participants in the Thursday threads should just keep doing what they've been doing; newcomers should take notice that this thread is meant for open discussion only of matters like those above, not just anything you like -- we'll have a thread on Friday for that, as usual.
What are your thoughts on accounting for individuals' psychological factors to explain an event? Maybe not to the psychoanalytic extent, but winking in its direction: f.e. "His ability to rebel, learned in his youth, is why he could lead the revolt later in life." (a) Can we use sources to reconstruct a psychological profile? (b) Since 'mental illnesses' are culturally constructed, which means so too is overall outlook, can we reconstruct the overall psychological milieu enough to judge one person against it? (c) Is this just a particular strain of Great Man theory?