Is gossip is a synonym for detraction?

[JJMG2001]

Gossip is a synonym for detraction right? And "He becomes guilty:…of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another's faults and failings to persons who did not know them;" CCC 2477 So what about history class. Isn't that essentially detraction class? I mean it is impossible to talk about an era in history without talking about the faults of the figures in history then. For example Hamilcar Barca made Hannibal take and oath to a pagan god that he would hate the Romans his whole life. I only know that and I assume everyone else here does too because a historian told me. I didn't need to know that about Hamilcar and it was a failing of his. So isn't that detraction? If not then why not?

[Pio Nono]

JMJ
5/30 - Seventh Tuesday of Easter

JJMG2001,

General, public, historical knowledge is free game and isn't detraction. Detraction would be if I had heard/seen Hannibal drunk at a party and told all my friends about it - it has nothing to do with his personality in particular, and people in general don't need to know about it. Hannibal's pagan oath is relevant to history, as it established a motive for the Punic Wars. There are all sorts of nitty-gritty details about historical figures that allow us to grasp their personalities better and help us arrive at a more balanced understanding of history itself. I hope this helps.

Yours,
Pio Nono