I mainly ask this about Alexander the Great. I find him fascinating but find it hard to reconcile the amount of death he caused. Are historical figures only viewed in the context of their times? Is it bad history to apply modern morals to ancient peoples?
Hi there, the concept you're asking about is called presentism within the historical field. You may be interested in some of these older answers on the topic:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3koz5x/can_anyone_help_me_understand_presentism_and/
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4vywvk/why_do_historians_reject_moral_presentism/