Admittedly sources can lend themselves to different interpretations. But these interpretations are not arbitrary but are dependent on the sources. Historiography is thus an ungoing dialogue which does not necessarily arrive at consensus but may enhance understanding of the past by illuminating it from a variety of perspectives. Historians may not be able to fulfill Leopold von Ranke's famous dream of writing history wie es eigentlich gewesen , but they may be able to show wie es eigentlich nicht gewesen . And to do this they must use the research methods developed in the process of professionalization.
Every historian inevitably has a point of view.
But the best way of avoiding arriving at untruths is to analyze one's point of view and thus being aware of one's perspective. This has been the responsibility of the historian past and present. This little Apollon article is thus not a repudiation of professional history but a call for it to live up to the ideals of intellectual honesty which it proclaimed. The article itself harbors a conviction , which may to some appear a prejudice, namely the belief that there are standards of humanity and logical thinking which can guide the rational discourse among historians. Professor Georg G. Iggers , distinguished Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York at Buffalo, has for more than thirty years been a leading expert on international historiography.