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Rather, they select only those records they deem most significant. Moreover, they also recreate parts of the past. Like detectives, they piece together evidence to fill in the gaps in the available records.
相反，他們只挑選那些他們認(rèn)為最重要的歷史資料用于研究。此外，他們也對部分歷史進(jìn)行重新創(chuàng)造。像偵探一樣，他們要拼湊證據(jù)來填補(bǔ)現(xiàn)有記載中的一些空白。
Historians are able to select and create evidence by using some theory of human motivations and behavior. Sometimes this appears to be easy, requiring very little sophistication and subtlety. Thus, for example, historians investigating America's entry into World War I would probably find that the sinking of American merchant ships on the high seas by German submarines was relevant to their discussion. At the same time, they would most likely not use evidence that President Woodrow Wilson was dissatisfied with a new hat he bought during the first months of 1917. The choice as to which fact to use is based on a theory—admittedly, in this case a rather crude theory, but a theory nonetheless. It would go something like this: National leaders contemplating war are more likely to be influenced by belligerent acts against their countries than by their unhappiness with their haberdashers.
歷史學(xué)家可以使用人類動機(jī)和行為的某些理論來挑選和創(chuàng)造證據(jù)。有時，這看起來很容易，因為這不需要豐富的經(jīng)驗和敏銳的觀察力。例如，那些調(diào)查美國介入第一次世界大戰(zhàn)原因的歷史學(xué)家們可能會發(fā)現(xiàn)，美國商船在公海被德國潛水艇擊沉這件事與他們的討論有關(guān)。與此同時，他們絕不會使用與之無關(guān)的證據(jù)，如伍德羅·威爾遜總統(tǒng)對他在1917年頭幾個月買的那頂新帽子不滿意。至于選擇哪些事實來使用要基于一種理論——不可否認(rèn)，在這種情況下是一種相當(dāng)粗趙的理旦不管怎么說，它仍是一種理論。這理論大致是這樣的：正在考慮是否參戰(zhàn)的國家領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人更可能受到敵對國家挑釁行為的影響，而不會因為對服飾經(jīng)銷商感到不滿而卷入戰(zhàn)爭。
If the choices were as simple as this, the problem would be easily resolved. But the choices were not so easy to make. Historians investigating the United States' entry into World War I will find in addition to German submarine warfare a whole series of other facts that could be relevant to the event under study. For instance, they will find that the British government had a propaganda machine at work in the United States that did its best to win public support for the British cause.
如果所做的選擇是如此簡單，那問題就很容易解決了。但選擇并非如此簡單。那些調(diào)查美國介入第一次世界大戰(zhàn)原因的歷史學(xué)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)，除了德國潛艇戰(zhàn)一事之外，還有一系列的其他事實可能與他們正在研究的事件有關(guān)。例如，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)英國政府的一個宣傳機(jī)構(gòu)正在美國運(yùn)作著，它在極力爭取美國公眾對英國戰(zhàn)爭的支持。
