What does «crítica interna» mean in Spanish?
- In philosophy, once the primary source has been reconstructed, that is, once the spurious additions have been identified and separated, criticism has finished its task. But when historical purposes are pursued, every source must be subjected to an internal critical study to determine its value as historical testimony. The methods are similar to those used by a judge in the evaluation of testimony. The author of a source is to be judged in the sense of whether or not he was in a position to observe the event to which he offers testimony. The bias of the author (like that of the witness) must be borne in mind, since it can distort the truth. Thus, the declarations of a statesman tend to justify his policy, just as the documents published by a government (particularly in time of war) tend more to create a state of opinion than to expose the impartial truth.