Saint-Simon and Napoleon: the Emperor’s Personality and the Philosopher’s Worldview

2021 ◽  
pp. 185-195
Author(s):  
Artem A. Krotov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
French Revolution ◽  
General Principle ◽  
Philosophy Of History ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
The Past ◽  
Head Of State ◽  
First Empire ◽  
Social Reorganization ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Mind

The article analyses Saint-Simon’s ideas about the mechanism of transition to social reorganization, which he saw as the main content of his contemporary era. Starting with the Letters of Geneva Resident to Contemporaries in the plans of the philosopher a special, exclusive place was given to Napoleon. Saint-Simon expected to strike, attract with his ideas a new star who rose on a political sky­scraper. He judged from a belief in the linear, logical-defined course of history. Napoleon was present in the mind of the philosopher as a hero who overcame the negative consequences of the French Revolution, almost the only one able to comprehend easily innovative ideas concerning the transformation of society. In the initial version of Saint-Simon’s philosophy of history, he acts as a neces­sary element to cement the past with the future. In the time of the First Empire Saint-Simon’s admiration of Napoleon increases, along with his genius is glori­fied his invincibility as the greatest of people and his coming world conquest. Following this event, the theorist of socialism expects a genius to turn to the sci­ences and issues of reforming society in the way he predicted. He regarded the “Emperor’s Tribunal” as the highest, most authoritative instance to appeal to re­solve worldview collisions. The Restoration cardinally changes the philosopher’s attitude to Napoleon's personality. His role in history for socialist’s conscious­ness is no longer progressive, but rather conservative. But the general principle – the search for support for his projects from the head of state – is not rejected by Saint-Simon. Now he appeals to Louis XVIII and in general to European mon­archs. The bet on a peaceful way of moving to a new, fairer structure, dictated a series of attempts by the philosopher to build a dialogue with the representa­tives of power.

Progressivism

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Tröhler
Keyword(s):  
Social Development ◽  
Progressive Era ◽  
French Revolution ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Educational Aspirations ◽  
Philosophy Of History ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Enlightenment ◽  
The Future

“Progressivism” is a collective term used in historiography to characterize historical phases in which particular ways to think about progress are detectable. Hence, “progressivism” is more a historiographical label used by historians than a term used by those thinkers identified as being part of a progressive phase in history. Even though important scholars have argued that the idea of progress can be traced back to antiquity, others have argued that ideas of progress—as a more or less linear alternative to a cyclical way of thinking—are found for the first time in the transition from the early modern period to modernity (ca. 1700). These ideas of progress can be linked to the advancement of knowledge, to the perfecting of the soul or then of the social order, and they link the notion of “progress” with notions like “perfection” and “development.” As a rule, “progress” did not include notions of future chaos or imponderability but rather was understood as an ordered proceeding to the future that was interpreted either as the redemption or materializing of a more or less predetermined road (individually and/or socially), as a contribution to adjustment of social development understood as dangerous or wrong, or as resulting from a forecast and planned future. All of these attempts over the last three and a half centuries to conceptualize progress in one way or another were connected to research, and they affected ideas on education; most of them were even closely related to educational aspirations, methods, programs, and/or policy. The two great and independent motives of “progress” can be identified first around 1700 in France and England with regard to advancement in knowledge and the sciences (1), and in Germany with regard to the perfection of the soul. The idea of human perfection and the advancement of the knowledge based on modern sciences were merged in the Enlightenment prior to the French Revolution and its philosophical legitimation (2), leading in the German realm to a philosophy of history that subordinated all of human and natural history to a great narrative from the past to the future (3). The emergence of sociology gave the narrative a national frame that was supported by the erection of modern schooling, but by the end of the 19th century, the modern conditions of social and political life as actual expressions of progress were perceived as not redeeming the promises of the Enlightenment and the philosophy of history, which led to a schism in the interpretation of “true” progress. These critical perceptions triggered a reaction labeled the Progressive Era, which aimed to readjust the modern conditions of life to particular, often religious ideals of social order in which progress was more tightly connected to (idealized) visions of the past (4). The educational ideas and ideals of this Progressive Era proved to be sustainable, but they were attacked during the Cold War period, which saw an emphasis on technocratic aspects of governance and specific ideas of economic and social development. The ramifications of this focus, which called for planning the future and adjusting education to these plans, can be seen in the case of the OECD (5).

“Children of Liberty”: Idealist Historiography in Staël, Shelley, and Sand

PMLA ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 502-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari Lokke
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
French Revolution ◽  
Mary Shelley ◽  
George Sand ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Spirit World ◽  
Historical Agency ◽  
The French Revolution

This essay explores the contributions of a tradition of nineteenth-century Künstlerromane by Germaine de Staël, Mary Shelley, and George Sand to European idealist historiography as exemplified in Kant's writings on perfectibility. Corinne, Valperga, and Consuelo represent the historical agency of the intellectual and artist as communication with a spirit world inhabited by ghosts of the past so that their secrets and wisdom can be transmitted to the future. In canonical Romanticism, contact with these phantasms provokes crippling guilt over the failure of past projects of perfectibility like the French Revolution (doomed by violence and bloodshed), guilt that is figured in the interdependent tropes of the titanic hero and Romantic melancholy. The novels discussed here perform an explicit critique of masculinist individualism in the name of women and humanity as a whole, replacing melancholy with enthusiasm and deploying spirits aesthetically, as sublime signs of future historical potentiality.

Geschichtsphilosophie und Philosophiegeschichte

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-24
Author(s):  
Wilhelm Schmidt-Biggemann
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of History ◽  
History Of Philosophy ◽  
The Past ◽  
Systematic Philosophy ◽  
The Future ◽  
History Of

Abstract The essay – an elaborated version of my academic farewell speech [Abschiedsvorlesung] – discusses three theses: 1. Histories and history as well as history of philosophy and philosophy of history can only be staged as narratives. “True” stories enact the past and deliver schemes for anticipating the future; insofar history and future constitute the semantics of the present. 2. “Systematic” philosophy analyses the temporal narratives which store the historical experiences and eliminates their temporality in a process of transforming narratives into arguments. The most important step in this transformation consists in isolating the key notions of the narratives and in arranging these key notions in a “timeless” systematic order. 3. History of philosophy and philosophy of history restage, however, the temporal narrative, which systematic philosophy wants to eliminate from philosophy. This operation produces an unsolvable paradox where the claim of timeless truth and that of unescapable temporality are both valid. It throws up questions such as: how can it be possible for philosophical truths to lose their credit? Do timeless truths exist, and if so what do they mean? Do these paradoxes lead to schadenfreude on the part of the historian of philosophy, who knew it all along, or should one see these unsolvable complexities as a chance to enjoy the richness of possibilities which history unfolds? The essay chooses the second alternative.

scholarly journals Thinking the future of work through the history of right to work claims

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 942-960
Author(s):  
Pablo Scotto
Keyword(s):  
French Revolution ◽  
Sustainable Society ◽  
Future Of Work ◽  
Historical Significance ◽  
The Past ◽  
Right To Work ◽  
Legal Texts ◽  
The Future ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Right

The wide presence of the right to work in national and international legal texts contrasts with a lack of agreement about the concrete content of this right. According to the hegemonic interpretation, it consists of two elements: (a) extension of wage labour and (b) significant improvement of working conditions. However, if we study the history of right to work claims, especially from the French Revolution to 1848, we can notice that the meaning of this right was rather wider in the past. Rescuing the historical significance of the right to work may help to face the problem of the future of work. In particular, and unlike what might seem at first sight, the claim that everyone should have his or her right to work guaranteed can be a way of articulating and concretizing issues such as workplace democracy, the organization of domestic work or the transition to a sustainable society.

Remembering and Forgetting the French Revolution: Memories and Memoirs

2020 ◽  
pp. 168-180
Author(s):  
Jeff Horn
Keyword(s):  
French Revolution ◽  
Fundamental Change ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
The French Revolution ◽  
The Revolution

For Rousselin, one of the chief lessons of the French Revolution was that fundamental change took time. He believed that it was the speed and the depth of the crisis of 1793–94 that led to violence. What helped a Revolutionary become a liberal was an acceptance of a slower pace of change. Rousselin used his position and then his time in retirement to try to refine his legacy and avoid further controversy. His choices about what to write and what to publish aimed to propagate a particular vision of the Revolution and his role in it. He wanted to be remembered as a victim not a perpetrator of the Terror. But he could not stop challenges to that vision from appearing; it was love for family that convinced him to retire from the spotlight to contemplate the past and hope for the future.

scholarly journals Does Psychological Capital Influence Employees’ Burnout? A Review Paper

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 36-42
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Psychological Capital ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Critical Issues

In this globalization era, burnout has been known as one of the critical issues in organizations. Overlooking the issue of burnout could lead to negative consequences, such as negatively affecting the overall organizational performance, and poor mental health among employees. It is crucial to know the factors that can help to improve burnout. One of the factors that can reduce burnout is psychological capital. Psychological capital is known as one of the elements that could help to reduce negative emotions. However, it was claimed that the influence of psychological capital is remained unexplored. Hence, this article reviewed the past studies that were conducted in the past decade (2008-2018) on the linkage between psychological capital and employees’ burnout. From the findings, it was revealed that there are inconsistency of the findings in the past studies. Hence, this has triggered a need for further exploration on the linkage between psychological capital and employees’ burnout. It is suggested that more empirical researches to be conducted in the future to provide a more concrete evidences on the linkage between psychological capital and employees’ burnout.

scholarly journals Evolution to Revolution

2021 ◽  
pp. 106-110
Author(s):  
Chinmay Suhas Jadhav
Keyword(s):  
Future Technology ◽  
The Past ◽  
Gradual Process ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Do So

We know that now a days everything Changes in a span of every 5 to 10 years. Demand in Technology has reached its peak. Hence, we need to understand the basic values and necessity of advancement in future Technology to achieve the most from the world which is full of modern ideology. We can learn so many things from the past and apply it for the better future and to do so we should evolve and revolve around time. We should be able to cope up with the present and we should be able to see the future requirements and work with the same in the mind. Evolution is a slow and gradual process but it can transform the whole world if it is changed correctly. We just need to have that passion and desire to unleash the next into forthcoming world.

scholarly journals The Dynamics of Time and Space in Sociological Theory

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
patrick john burnett
Keyword(s):  
Social Organization ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
The Past ◽  
Time Horizons ◽  
Sociological Inquiry ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Mind

To date, there has been much emphasis on, and critical inquiry into, the variety of ways sociological theories examine social life, social organization, and human conduct within and between the past and present time horizons. Under the auspice that no authentic anticipation of what we may 'have to be' (future) is possible without borrowing from the resources of what we already 'have been' (past) and 'currently are' (present), sociological inquiry has been primarily focused on the relationship of an experiencing person (or persons) within the complexities of past events and present circumstances as a means to reveal insights toward the future of social organization. The reasons for this focus on investigations into past and present time horizons are because they are facilitated by the presence of an observable and material reality consisting of identifiable documents and tangible objects that can be identified, observed, interpreted and measured. Whereas, investigations into the future are working within a different reality status all together, one that does not contain identifiable material and empirically accessible facts, thus making it much more difficult to study in that it is focused on a reality that does not yet exist. Given that only materialized processes of the past and present have the status of factual reality (what is real is observable), conclusions and predictions about future events, which are essentially beyond the realm of the material and observable, remain at the level of the senses, as an aspect of the mind, and are seen as belonging to the realm of the 'ideal' and the 'not the real'. This paper walks through these considerations in detail and examines how a focus on time and space can help us better understand the ways in which social beings act.

scholarly journals TIME AS A METAPHYSICAL DILEMMA: JOSE LUIS BORGES’ TREATMENT OF THE NATURE OF TIME IN HIS SELECTED WORKS

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-10
Author(s):  
Tukumbeje Mposa
Keyword(s):  
Human Mind ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Past ◽  
Major Subject ◽  
The Future ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Nature Of Time ◽  
Perception Of Time ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Linear Manner

The concept of time, which has been a major subject of study in various fields, defies a neat definition. Many scholars have failed to define it in a manner applicable to all fields. Generally, time can be defined as the unlimited continued progress of existence and events in the past, present and future, regarded as a whole. It is a measure in which events can be ordered from the past through the present into the future. Some schools of thought deny the existence of time. They argue that the present is undefined and indefinite; and the future has no reality except as present recollection. In some of his works, Jose Luis Borges (1899–1986) describes time in a linear manner, that is to say, that humans experience time as a series of present moments, one following the other. The past and the future both exist nowhere but in the human mind. Borges seems to agree with the notion that time is but a figment of the mind. In other stories, his perception of time is circular. Thus, the focus of the current article is on time, which is a metaphysical dilemma, and Borges’ treatment of the nature of time in his selected works.

scholarly journals The Transformation of Historical Time: Processual and Evental Temporalities

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 219-246
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Philosophy Of History ◽  
Historical Time ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Positive Meaning ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Modern Era

The author takes on two interrelated tasks. The first is to justify the philosophy of history as an intellectual enterprise for the modern era and one which is dedicated to finding a positive meaning in the changes that occur within humanity as it moves from the past toward the future. The viability of that enterprise has been called into question by the catastrophes of the twentieth century. The second task is to propose a new concept of historical temporality instead of the “processual” one that was discredited in the previous century. Simon maintains that we are now living in a period similar to the “saddle time” (from 1750 to 1850) described by Reinhart Koselleck. The difference between that period and the current one lies in the replacement of the “processual” temporality that was established in that earlier time by an “evental” temporality, whose structure this article is intended to explain. The future plays a key role in the structure of evental temporality. The future no longer denotes the perspective that maps out the direction of historical changes but is instead synonymous with changes as such — changes so radical that the continued existence of mankind within its former ecological, biological and physiological boundaries is at stake. The author illustrates these changes with references to bioengineering, artificial intelligence, anthropogenic climate change, etc. Expectations about these changes are utopian and dystopian at the same time and can feed one’s wildest hopes and fantasies as well as inspire the darkest fears and dreads. In any case, these changes themselves are in no way determined by the previous course of history. The future they point to undermines the continuity of human experience because it is completely independent of the past.

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