04-10-2007, 07:24 AM
The outright denial of events is actually not uncommon in eastern countries. The museum of Lahore shows a map of Alexander's eastern conquests, which leave Pakistan out. Everyone can find modern parallels, like the denial that the Jewish temple was on the Temple Mount.
And perhaps it is not completely wrong for scholars to proceed by ignoring a well-known fact, and look at the strength of the arguments. Thermopylae is, of course, "hard information" (archaeologically confirmed); but it is true that the evidence for the Persian Wars is frustratingly one-sided and full of propaganda.
As a heuristic tool, scepticism is not bad. It is like acid, that eats away every weak argument, and leaves the strong ones intact. The result is better knowledge.
And perhaps it is not completely wrong for scholars to proceed by ignoring a well-known fact, and look at the strength of the arguments. Thermopylae is, of course, "hard information" (archaeologically confirmed); but it is true that the evidence for the Persian Wars is frustratingly one-sided and full of propaganda.
As a heuristic tool, scepticism is not bad. It is like acid, that eats away every weak argument, and leaves the strong ones intact. The result is better knowledge.
