The author of this study calls into question the very sense of history, as a cognitive domain, that of gathering and interpreting the traces of life, in order to make from them a meditation support within reach of contemporaries. He speaks of criticism and (re) construction in historical discourse, to shed light on some of the concerns of today historiography. In the study are presented and analyzed the opinions of different Romanian and foreign historians on the role and place of history (historian) in society. In the author’s view, “a respectable historian must be tempted by absolutely everything”. Along with what has been published, the historian must seek innovative material to complete his information, but also for a necessary contact with the vestiges of time. Historical discourse is built and rebuilt continually. The concept of reconstruction is used also, occasionally though, to define a distinct moment, as a response to a crisis.