The School of Philosophy congratulates current PhD student, Aidan Ryall, on the recent publication of her article "Historical Significance" in the esteemed Australasian Journal of Philosophy on 27 August, 2026. 

Aidan's areas of interest include metaphysics and the social construction of history — particularly questions about historical facts, methodologies, and objects.

Abstract: 
Consider the difference between (a) Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon on the 10th of January 49 BCE, and (b) Julius Caesar had an odd number of hairs on his head when he crossed the Rubicon. Intuitively, (a) is historically significant, while (b) is not. What is this distinction? In this paper, I argue for a normative response-dependent account of historical significance. On this view, (a) is historically significant in virtue of how a relevant community of historians ought to respond to it. The normative account allows us to maintain historical realism while also accommodating the obvious ways in which history is contextual and value-laden.

Link to full article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00048402.2026.2719956