Defeating the Ideal Chronicler : The Problem with the Thought Experiment




Virmajoki, Veli

PublisherBrill

2025

Journal of the Philosophy of History

1872-261X

1872-2636

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1163/18722636-12341562

https://doi.org/10.1163/18722636-12341562



In this Letter to the Editor, I argue that Danto’s Ideal Chronicler thought experiment in philosophy of history conflates the properties of events with the relations between events. This oversight leads to misunderstandings regarding the nature of historical knowledge and historical events. The experiment fails to establish any non-trivial conclusions about the retrospective nature of historical truths or the constitution of historical events.



Last updated on 2025-26-08 at 08:25