When research establishes the time of a report, two cases are distinguished:
• Before the deterioration: the report is accepted.
• After the deterioration: the report is unreliable.
What matters here is whether the particular report belongs to the earlier or later period; the narrator’s age or fame alone is insufficient.
1. Accepted: the ruling here is explained in relation to the later deterioration.
Opening interactive controls...
Weak memory and the time of transmission
When research establishes the time of a report, two cases are distinguished:
• Before the deterioration: the report is accepted.
• After the deterioration: the report is unreliable.
What matters here is whether the particular report belongs to the earlier or later period; the narrator’s age or fame alone is insufficient.
1. Accepted: the ruling here is explained in relation to the later deterioration.