Historical people should not be divided into flawless heroes and irredeemable villains. A recorded act can look different when separated from the pressures, sequence, and surrounding behaviour that produced it. Restoring context does not make wrongdoing correct or turn a harmful person into a good one. Historical subjects should receive the same effort at understanding that a modern reader would want, while moral judgment about their actions remains intact.
Notable Point · 3:11:51-3:15:11
Historical context without moral absolution
Historical figures should be read in context and as complicated human beings, without using that understanding to declare harmful actions right.