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RPH MODULE EXAM 1 CLAROKyle

This document discusses the dilemma of using primary sources in history. It notes that primary sources are considered factual by historians but may not be fully reliable or free from bias. For example, Pigafetta's account of Magellan's voyage, often used as a primary source, may be inaccurate since his original diary likely did not survive and modern versions are copies translated between multiple languages. Primary sources are also subjective accounts influenced by the author's perspective, as seen in accounts of Philippine folk traditions that were deemed "evil" by Catholic missionaries. While important for understanding history, primary sources need to be analyzed critically rather than taken as completely objective fact.

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898 views2 pages

RPH MODULE EXAM 1 CLAROKyle

This document discusses the dilemma of using primary sources in history. It notes that primary sources are considered factual by historians but may not be fully reliable or free from bias. For example, Pigafetta's account of Magellan's voyage, often used as a primary source, may be inaccurate since his original diary likely did not survive and modern versions are copies translated between multiple languages. Primary sources are also subjective accounts influenced by the author's perspective, as seen in accounts of Philippine folk traditions that were deemed "evil" by Catholic missionaries. While important for understanding history, primary sources need to be analyzed critically rather than taken as completely objective fact.

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Claro, Kyle

GED103-A50

Dilemma of Primary Source

History will teach us more of our experience. It's the solution to the question of who we

are today. But we've never even doubted its integrity, so we've all been. Presented with facts and

evidence. Normal people have never had a chance to objectively analyze history, since these

"facts" have all been published on textbooks since we were children, and we have all been forced

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to accept that everything in textbooks is real. The point is that historians clearly contend that their

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evidence come from primary sources and that primary sources are almost always true, factual, and

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thus quite trustworthy, it would be futile to challenge. However, this does not prove that
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modifications or improvements in description have not been made either by the historian or by the

source. The validity of history and the sequence of events it poses is also doubtful.
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Antonio Pigafetta's "First Voyage Around the World" is a popular primary source that tells
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the story of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition. Many people find it a reliable source that articulates
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how sites around the globe have been found. This though, has a certain discrepancy, which makes
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the truth uncertain. One must have been that Pigafetta's initial diary did not actually work.

Survived, and what was passed down to us were copies of the novel that had never been written.
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In addition, one of the copies was written in mixed languages (Italian, Spanish, and Venetian).

This indicates that the journal could be inaccurate, since lost pages, mistranslated words, or even
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fake copies could exist. In addition, the journal was written many centuries ago, and several have

already tried to make copies and examine its content, which could contribute to misinterpretation

and over-analysis. And what seems to be wrong with this is that many scholars use this "primary

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source" to construct their history textbooks without ever understanding that there may be a

dilemma with their source.

Another potential problem for the main source is subjectivism when it comes to the

narrative of events. Because his thoughts and feelings are taken into account, the narrative of a

man could be influenced. Take for example, Juan De Placencia's "Customs of the Tagalogs," where

he wrote about the "12 Priests of the Devil" which are only integral Filipino folk traditions, but

which he considered to be "evil practices." That's because he was a priest, and hearing the terror

of Filipino folk tales would really annoy him. Another strong example of the subjectivism of the

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accounts is Emilio Aguinaldo's "Gunita ng Himagsikan." He used his narratives to rid himself of

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the accusation of Andres Bonifacio's death and other derogatory aspersions towards him, thus,

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one-sided not saying the whole story. It just contains his viewpoint, which could mislead
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knowledge. However, both written accounts are now considered to be valid primary sources and
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are used as the basis for Philippine historiography.


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Yet, considering the differences in their authenticity, it is certain that without these

reference sources we would have no knowledge about our history. They also have the details they
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need on history at the present moment, and it is now up to us to judge the truth of this information.
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