Discuss Nietzsche’s “On the Use and Abuse of History for Life,” Berlin’s essay “The Hedgehog and the Fox,” and the posted excerpts from Tacitus’ Annals and Histories. Nietzsche give the reader three sorts of historians, Berlins provides two types, and Tacitus provides one ideal type.
Based on these texts, what are Nietzsche’s three types of historians? Berlin’s two types? On what grounds does Tacitus argue that the first duty of the historian is to pass moral judgment? Once you have addressed the substance what these three writers say, address the following question:
Which of these types seems most promising to you, as a model for history writing now? Which do you think are unworkable? Why?
