The history of human society can be learned. But to open regularities of social development and to comprehend transitions between historical eras, the special methodology is necessary. When studying historical events the scientists use the methods specific to the area of knowledge.
What is a scientific method
Scientific method it is considered to be a set of methods of knowledge of reality which allows to come to the truth. A basis for development of methods of separate sciences are scientific theories. The method of concrete science has to guarantee obtaining the new knowledge free against distortions.
Correctly picked up or again developed scientific method develops and enriches science in general and the theoretical constructions which are its part.
Methods of historical science
History as science uses two main groups of methods:
- general scientific;
- actually historical.
Methods of the general character are divided into empirical and theoretical. It is possible to refer observation, measurement to the first group, partly – an experiment. The basis of theoretical methods is formed by systematization of data, creation of typology, idealization, formalization. The separate group of general scientific methods is made by logical constructions.
Separately consideration is deserved by system approach at a research of historical events. It gives the chance to estimate all set of basic data from a position of integrity and structure. The main function of system approach – heuristic (orientation of the researcher in the course of knowledge).
Special methods of historical science
This big group of the methods used by historians join those from them which answer the specific purposes of a historical research. It is not quite correct to speak about one special method of history as historians include in structure of scientific methodology ideographic, retrospective, comparative, typological, historical and genetic and other methods.
It is difficult to give a palm of one of the parties of special historical methodology. However most often historians should adopt a method historical and genetic. Its essence that events of any given era are studied in development: from origin and formation to a mature state and inevitable death.
The philosophical base of this special method of historical science should be considered to the dialectician. Most theoretical bases of a dialectic view of history are developed in historical materialism. He assumes that at the heart of all historical phenomena and events material factors of activity of people lie (first of all that are connected with way of production of the material benefits, economy, economic activity).