로버트 토드. 캐롤(Robert Todd. Carroll) - 유사 역사학

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Robert Todd. Carroll - Pseudohistory

Robert Todd Carroll

Robert Todd Carroll (May 18, 1945 – August 25, 2016) was an American philosopher, author, educator, and prominent skeptic renowned for founding The Skeptic's Dictionary, a comprehensive online reference that critiques pseudoscience, paranormal beliefs, and popular myths.


Born in Joliet, Illinois, Carroll earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of California, San Diego, in 1974, with a dissertation on the common-sense philosophy of religion of Bishop Edward Stillingfleet.

He began his academic career teaching philosophy, logic, and critical thinking at Sacramento City College, where he served as a full-time professor from 1977 until his retirement in 2007.


Carroll's contributions to skepticism began in the early 1990s when he launched the website skepdic.com in 1994, amassing over 700 entries that analyzed topics ranging from alternative medicine to urban legends, attracting more than 400,000 monthly visitors by the time of his death.


In 2003, he published a print version of The Skeptic's Dictionary through Wiley, which became a cornerstone text in critical thinking education, alongside his other works such as Becoming a Critical Thinker (2000, revised 2005) and The Critical Thinker's Dictionary (2013).

He was elected a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry in 2010 and contributed essays, reviews, and podcast segments to promote rational inquiry.



Carroll passed away in Davis, California, from pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer, leaving a lasting legacy as an accessible advocate for skepticism who influenced educators, students, and the public through his emphasis on evidence-based reasoning over superstition.


유사역사학(pseudohistory)과 관련하여 자주 언급되는 인물은 로버트 T. 캐롤(Robert T. Carroll)입니다.

로버트 T. 캐롤은 유사역사학의 특성을 정의하고 이를 비판한 것으로 유명합니다. 그는 자신의 저서나 글에서 유사역사학을 식별하는 기준을 제시했습니다.


로버트 T. 캐롤의 유사역사학 정의 및 특징


로버트 T. 캐롤은 유사역사학이 다음과 같은 특징을 가진다고 설명했습니다:

신화와 전설의 문자 그대로의 수용: 신화, 전설, 무용담 등을 문자 그대로의 역사적 진실로 취급합니다.


비판적 태도 부재: 고대 역사가들의 주장을 액면 그대로 받아들이며, 주장에 반하는 경험적 또는 논리적 증거를 무시합니다.

특정 목적 추구: 과거의 진실을 찾는 '탐구'가 아닌, 당대의 특정 정치적 또는 종교적 의제를 지지하려는 '임무'를 수행합니다.

역사적 진실의 상대화: 절대적으로 확실한 것만이 '진실'일 수 있고 모든 것은 불확실하므로 역사적 진실이란 존재하지 않는다는 극단적인 회의론에 집착합니다.

선택적 자료 활용: 자신의 의제에 맞는 고대 문서는 유리하게 인용하고, 그렇지 않은 문서는 무시하거나 다르게 해석합니다.


학계 기준 무시: 정확성, 경험적 개연성, 논리적 일관성 등 전통적인 학문적 기준보다는 도덕적 또는 정치적 근거에 따라 역사를 평가해야 한다고 주장합니다.
이러한 기준들은 유사역사학이 제도권 역사학계의 공인된 역사 기술 관습과 방법론을 따르지 않고 사실을 왜곡한다는 점을 명확히 보여줍니다.



Characteristics

Robert Todd Carroll has developed a list of criteria to identify pseudo-historic works. He states that:

Pseudohistory is purported history which:

Treats myths, legends, sagas and similar literature as literal truth
Is neither critical nor skeptical in its reading of ancient historians, taking their claims at face value and ignoring empirical or logical evidence contrary to the claims of the ancients
Is on a mission, not a quest, seeking to support some contemporary political or religious agenda rather than find out the truth about the past

Often denies that there is such a thing as historical truth, clinging to the extreme skeptical notion that only what is absolutely certain can be called 'true' and nothing is absolutely certain, so nothing is true

Often maintains that history is nothing but mythmaking and that different histories are not to be compared on such traditional academic standards as accuracy, empirical probability, logical consistency, relevancy, completeness, fairness or honesty, but on moral or political grounds

Is selective in its use of ancient documents, citing favorably those that fit with its agenda, and ignoring or interpreting away those documents which do not fit

Considers the possibility of something being true as sufficient to believe it is true if it fits with one's agenda

Often maintains that there is a conspiracy to suppress its claims because of racism, atheism or ethnocentrism, or because of opposition to its political or religious agenda