Epistemic Optimism, Speculation, and the Historical Sciences

Abstract

I summarize the central ideas and arguments of Rock, Bone and Ruin: An Optimist’s Guide to the Historical Sciences, before responding to criticisms from Leonard Finkelman, Joyce Havstad, Derek Turner and Alison Wylie. These cover whether, and to what extent, we can establish optimism about the historical sciences, the distinctions between ‘trace-based’ and ‘non-trace’ evidence, and between experiments and models, and the purpose and limits of speculation in scientific reasoning.