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TRUTHINSPORTSHISTORY
maysometimesbeverydifcult.Inthecaseofcuneiforminscriptions,forex-
ample,theinterpretationdependsuponveryelaborateinductions;tosetout
whyweshouldbelievewhatwedoaboutHammurabiisacomplicatedmatter.
Forthecriticalhistorian,theessentialpremisesarethatheseescertainshapes
oncertaintablets;forus,thathesayshedoes,togetherwithwhateverreasons
wemayhaveforbelievinghimtobetruthful,whichmustconsistinacompari-
sonofhisstatementswithourownexperiences.Epistemologymustarrange
allourbeliefs,boththoseofwhichwefeelconvinced,andthosethatseemto
usonlymoreorlessprobable,inacertainorder,beginningwiththosethat,on
reflection,appeartouscredibleindependentlyofanyargumentintheirfavour,
andindicatingthenatureoftheinferences(mostlynotstrictlylogical)bywhich
wepassfromthesetoderivativebeliefs.”12
Butisgoingtomanuscriptsandinscriptionssufcientenoughtoconfirm
truefacts?ButwhatifJuliusCaesarorderedtheirfalsification,orsimplyexag-
geratedhisdeedsandmilitaryachievements?Napoleondidthesame,whenaf-
terhiscompletelyfailedcampaigninEgypt,hereportedtotheFrenchpressthat
hehadachievedgreatmilitarysuccess.TenthemanuscriptsofhisEgyptian
expeditionwouldnotprovideuswithatruepictureofhisbehaviourbecause
theydidnotcontainanythingabout,forinstance,hisshamefulactionbywhich
hepoisonedhisownwoundedandsicksoldiers.Tisparticularfact,aswellas
otherhistoricalfactsofallepochs,canatleastbeprovedbyrivalsources,such
asmemoirs,relationsetc.Butwhatdowedointhecaseofsingularevidence,
impossibletoconfirminanyothersource?
Contemporarysportseemslessthreatenedbyfalsifications,andifanything,it
isusuallyofnotsuchgraveandtragicconsequencesasmanyothereventsfalsely
describedandreflectedindocuments.Somesportingeventsare,however,also
quiteseriousintheiroutcomes,especiallywhenproducedbycold-heartedand
high-handedpropagandistsandparticularlywhenusedforpoliticalpurposes.
Wewilldiscusstheminamoment,butbeforethatletusgetacquaintedwith
lighterartillery,producingpoisonedbomb-shells,especiallythosefoundin
amediafulloffalsificationsandsensationalratherthantruefactsconcerning,
forinstance,thebiographiesofboxingorfootballchampions.
Tehistoricalannalsofthepressarecommonlyusedbysportshistoriansto
describeoratleastenrichourknowledgeaboutpastevents.Howcanonedis-
12BertrandRussell,AnInquiryintoMeaningandTruth,Norton1940,internetversion:http://archive.org/
stream/BertrandRussell-AnInquiryIntoMeaningAndTruth/AnInquiryIntoMeaningAndTruth_djvu.txt,
May21,2015.
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