Plato (427BC- 347 BC): Knowledge as justified true belief

We generally believe something is true if we personally witnessed or experienced it. We therefore rely on our memory and sense perception as ways of knowing. This is personal knowledge but can contribute to shared knowledge. Q: To what extent should we rely on these ways of knowing?

Sense perception and memory: the role of eye witness accounts as a historical source Key questions: What role does personal observation of a historical event play? What advantages and problems do eye witness accounts offer?

“Ashes were already falling, not as yet very thickly. I looked round: a dense black cloud was coming up behind us, spreading over the earth like a flood.'Let us leave the road while we can still see,'I said,'or we shall be knocked down and trampled underfoot in the dark by the crowd behind.'We had scarcely sat down to rest when darkness fell, not the dark of a moonless or cloudy night, but as if the lamp had been put out in a closed room. You could hear the shrieks of women, the wailing of infants, and the shouting of men; some were calling their parents, others their children or their wives, trying to recognize them by their voices. People bewailed their own fate or that of their relatives, and there were some who prayed for death in their terror of dying. Many besought the aid of the gods, but still more imagined there were no gods left, and that the universe was plunged into eternal darkness for evermore. “

The Warren Commission concluded that "three shots were fired [from the Texas School Book Depository] in a time period ranging from approximately 4.8 to in excess of 7 seconds." [108] Some assassination researchers, including Anthony Summers, dispute the Commission's findings. They point to evidence that brings into question the number of shots fired, the origin of the shots, and the ability of Oswald to accurately fire three shots in a short amount of time. These researchers suggest the involvement of multiple gunmen. [109] [108] [109]

Dolores Kounas Kounas was standing on the south side of Elm Street, opposite the TSBD. It sounded as though these shots were coming from the Triple Underpass. … She stated it did not sound like the shots were coming from that [TSBD] direction but rather from the Triple Underpass. (Warren Commission Hearings, vol.22, p.846, 24 November 1963)Warren Commission Hearings, vol.22, p.846 Although I was across the street from the Depository building and was looking in the direction of the building as the motorcade passed and following the shots, I did not look up at the building as I had thought the shots came from a westerly direction in the vicinity of the viaduct. (Warren Commission Hearings, vol.22, p.659, 23 March 1964)Warren Commission Hearings, vol.22, p.659 Eye Witness Mary Rattan: I am employed at Texas School Book Depository at 411 Elm. I work all over the building. I was working on the sixth floor all morning. At lunch time at 12:00 noon I went down on the street to see the parade, and get a look at the President. I was standing on the corner of Elm and Houston, and I heard three shots ring out. I didn't know what had happened until I heard a woman scream that the President had been shot.

What role have these different eye witness accounts played in our your historical understanding of the events?