歷史學家除咗重建過去之外，最重要嘅係解釋點解過去會發生呢啲事情，以及呢啲事情為現代人所帶來嘅意義。所以歷史學家同律師、政治家等同樣研讀歷史嘅人唔同，歷史學家喺研讀歷史時係著墨於思考隱藏喺歷史背後嘅脈絡，而唔係著墨於評估古人嘅是非對錯。歷史學家必須透過各種唔同嘅角度去解釋過去，並唔係用後人之見嚟指責前人之非。
In addition to reconstructing the past, the most important thing for historians is to explain why these things happened in the past and what they mean for modern people. Therefore, historians are different from lawyers, politicians, and other people who also study history, and historians study history by thinking about the context hidden behind history, rather than on evaluating the rights and wrongs of the ancients. Historians must interpret the past through a variety of perspectives, not to blame the past for the opinions of later generations.