Historia ilościowa jako składowa historii cyfrowej: kierunek badań z przyszłością czy alternatywne badania historyczne?

Quantitative history, defined as the use of mathematical and statistical methods in historical research and reliance on quantitative sources, is currently considered a focal area of interest within digital history/humanities. Despite its long tradition, and regardless of the types of tools used, quantitative history continues to provoke controversy among humanists. The aim of this article is to present the evolving significance of employing digitally assisted quantitative sources and methods in historical research and to attempt to define their place in the toolkit of the contemporary historian. A brief history of the use of quantitative methods in historical research and its specific characteristics is provided in the text. In particular, attention is paid to aspects such as the necessity of acquiring additional tools and language, the auxiliary nature of quantitative methods, the place of quantitative methods in the historian's research process, the significance of quantitative history in the context of open science ideals, and interdisciplinary research.