Le siècle de la contingence ? - article ; n°1 ; vol.1, pg 97-104

René Rémond

Description

Vingtième Siècle. Revue d'histoire - Année 1984 - Volume 1 - Numéro 1 - Pages 97-104
The century of contingency ?, René Rémond
Virtually all forecasts have corne to naught during the 20th century. This chronic discrepancy between prediction and reality confronts the contemporary historian with the central role of contingency, the irritating challenge to his desire to explain logically the passing of time. Population, economy, culture, and above all, politics — no field of human activity manages to escape the accident of contingency. The historian, therefore, has to avoid two contrary excesses : attributing to events a spurious logic, and making the flow of things depend on minor causes. Only the historian can show that all situations have a variety of possible future scenarios, and that choice is always irreversible.
8 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Informations

• Publié par: VINGTIEME_SIECLE-_REVUE_D-HISTOIRE
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1984
• Nombre de lectures: 40
• Langue: Français

Extrait

René Rémond

Le siècle de la contingence ?

In: Vingtième Siècle. Revue d'histoire. N°1, janvier 1984. pp. 97-104.

Abstract

The

century

of

contingency ?,

René Rémond

Virtually all forecasts have corne to naught during the 20th century. This chronic discrepancy between prediction and reality

confronts the contemporary historian with the central role of contingency, the irritating challenge to his desire to explain logically

the passing of time. Population, economy, culture, and above all, politics — no field of human activity manages to escape the

accident of contingency. The historian, therefore, has to avoid two contrary excesses : attributing to events a spurious logic, and

making the flow of things depend on minor causes. Only the historian can show that all situations have a variety of possible future

scenarios, and that choice is always irreversible.

Citer ce document / Cite this document :

Rémond René. Le siècle de la contingence ?. In: Vingtième Siècle. Revue d'histoire. N°1, janvier 1984. pp. 97-104.

doi : 10.3406/xxs.1984.1769

http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/xxs_0294-1759_1984_num_1_1_1769