Cicero once stressed as the first law of history that “the historian must not dare to tell any falsehood.” This precept entails a minimal ethical requirement that remains unscathed by the whirlpools of epistemic relativism that have called many other aspects of professional historians’ practice into question in the last century or so. No commendable scholar seems willing to invalidate Cicero’s first law, and dependable scholarship—whether relying on objectivity-friendly or objectivity-hostile theoretical assumptions—follows shared standards of integrity and accuracy with which someone from Cicero’s time, for instance, would never be able to comply. In this essay, I suggest that those two circumstances should dispose us more favorably toward a refreshed notion of historical objectivity pointing not only to epistemology but also to professional ethics. I address the condemnation of lying and, more generally, historians’ commitment to sincerity as a way to highlight the ethical dimension of history writing. By focusing on the deep but underexplored moral roots of objectivity, I argue that this concept is still very useful as both an analytical tool and a normative ideal. Objectivity, in the sense I underline here, does not stand in opposition to subjectivity—on the contrary, it is actually tied up with subjective dispositions, virtues, and skills that help shape responsible historiography.

中文翻译：

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客观性与历史写作的第一定律

西塞罗曾经强调说，“历史学家一定不敢讲任何假话”，这是历史的第一定律。这个戒律带来了最低的道德要求，而认知相对论的漩涡在上个世纪左右对专业历史学家的实践的许多其他方面提出了质疑，而这一要求却毫发无损。没有值得称赞的学者似乎愿意废除西塞罗的第一定律，而可靠的学术研究（无论是依靠客观友好的还是客观敌对的理论假设）都遵循了完整性和准确性的共同标准，例如，西塞罗时代的人永远无法做到这一点。遵守。在这篇文章中 我建议，这两种情况应该使我们更有利于朝着历史客观性的观念更新，不仅指向认识论，而且指向职业道德。我讲的是对说谎的谴责，更广泛地说，历史学家对诚意的承诺是强调历史写作的伦理维度的一种方式。通过关注客观性的深刻但未探索的道德根源，我认为该概念作为分析工具和规范理想仍然非常有用。就我在这里强调的意义而言，客观性并不反对主观性，相反，它实际上与有助于塑造负责任的历史学的主观性格，美德和技巧紧密相关。历史学家对诚意的承诺是强调历史写作的伦理维度的一种方式。通过关注客观性的深刻但未探索的道德根源，我认为该概念作为分析工具和规范理想仍然非常有用。就我在这里强调的意义而言，客观性并不反对主观性，相反，它实际上与有助于塑造负责任的历史学的主观性格，美德和技巧紧密相关。历史学家对诚意的承诺是强调历史写作的伦理维度的一种方式。通过关注客观性的深刻但未探索的道德根源，我认为该概念作为分析工具和规范理想仍然非常有用。就我在这里强调的意义而言，客观性并不反对主观性，相反，它实际上与有助于塑造负责任的历史学的主观性格，美德和技巧紧密相关。