L'elusiva realtà del metodo storico

This essay discusses the existence and use of a historical method. It also discusses its influence on the results of historical research. It argues that the idea of a single, universal method for the study of history is problematic and inadequate because the past has been subject to changing interpretations over time and in different cultural spaces. The essay touches on the evolution of historical method in Europe, highlighting the profound changes in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with the establishment of European power and the assumption of history as a European prerogative. Divergences among historians in the method and interpretation of historical facts are reflected upon, with an emphasis on the importance of critical analysis of sources. The impact of modern technologies, especially artificial intelligence, on historical research and narrative is also discussed, and the need to elaborate the notion of ‘narrative responsibility’ in the use of such tools is emphasized. Finally, the importance of ‘discretion’, proposed by Guicciardini in the sixteenth century, as a characteristic of a historical method suited to the needs of modern historiography is emphasized,.