Speculative versus Critical Philosophy of History

2019 ◽  
pp. 131-162
Author(s):  
Leslie Armour
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of History ◽  
Critical Philosophy

Public Theology and ‘The Fragment’: Duncan Forrester, David Tracy, and Walter Benjamin

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-106
Author(s):  
William Myatt
Keyword(s):  
Walter Benjamin ◽  
Philosophy Of History ◽  
Theological Reflection ◽  
Public Theology ◽  
Critical Philosophy

AbstractPublic theologians as diverse as Duncan Forrester and David Tracy have pointed to ‘the fragment’ as a useful and timely form of theological reflection. This article considers the possibility of the fragmentary form for public theology by complementing the suggestions of Forrester and Tracy with Walter Benjamin’s critical philosophy of history. Benjamin’s use of the fragment as a genre of expression reflects a desire to retrieve history without perpetuating history’s oppressive tendencies. Public theologians suspicious of these tendencies would do well not only to emulate Benjamin’s fragmentary style but to understand and embrace the philosophical reflections driving it. After summarizing the turn to the fragment in Forrester and Tracy, this article continues with a consideration of Benjamin, highlighting the possibilities for liberation and critique in a public theology dependent on his philosophy.

scholarly journals Sociology’s missed opportunity: John Stuart-Glennie’s lost theory of the moral revolution, also known as the axial age

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Halton
Keyword(s):  
Sociology Of Religion ◽  
Philosophy Of History ◽  
Comparative History ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
Critical Philosophy ◽  
Karl Jaspers ◽  
Axial Age ◽  
Sociological Society ◽  
Missed Opportunity

In 1873, 75 years before Karl Jaspers published his theory of the Axial Age in 1949, unknown to Jaspers and to contemporary scholars today, Scottish folklorist John Stuart Stuart-Glennie elaborated the first fully developed and nuanced theory of what he termed “the Moral Revolution” to characterize the historical shift emerging roughly around 600 BCE in a variety of civilizations, most notably ancient China, India, Judaism, and Greece, as part of a broader critical philosophy of history. He continued to write on the idea over decades in books and articles and also presented his ideas to the fledgling Sociological Society of London in 1905, which were published the following year in the volume Sociological Papers, Volume 2. This article discusses Stuart-Glennie’s ideas on the moral revolution in the context of his philosophy of history, including what he termed “panzooinism”; ideas with implications for contemporary debates in theory, comparative history, and sociology of religion. It shows why he should be acknowledged as the originator of the theory now known as the axial age, and also now be included as a significant sociologist in the movement toward the establishment of sociology.

The Idea of Philosophical History

Dialogue ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-50
Author(s):  
Peter Loptson
Keyword(s):  
World History ◽  
Philosophy Of History ◽  
The Other ◽  
Critical Philosophy ◽  
Speculative Philosophy ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Auguste Comte ◽  
The One

In W. H. Walsh's widely read book, An Introduction to the Philosophy of History (1951) there is set out a distinction which became virtually classic, or canonical, between two kinds of philosophy of history. On the one hand, there is critical philosophy of history, which investigates, in what is supposed to be a more or less neutral and objective way, the actual practices of historians, with a view to determining their methods, the character of their cognitive and explanatory claims, resemblances to other kinds of inquiry, differences, and other matters of allied type. Critical philosophers of history are supposed to have a relation to their subject at least similar to that of philosophers of science to theirs. Walsh approved of critical philosophy of history, and pointed to directions of its future progress. On the other hand, there is speculative philosophy of history, which seeks to give philosophie content and structure to the actual course of history, typically, world history. This was the sort of thing engaged in by people like Hegel, and Auguste Comte, and Spengler and Toynbee; Walsh did not approve of it at all. Walsh's distinction, and similar if different perspectives on it, appear among other places in William Dray's Philosophy of History and in articles on philosophy of history in the Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

scholarly journals La filosofía kantiana de la historia: dialéctica entre naturaleza y libertad

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hernán Martínez Ferro
Keyword(s):  
Practical Reason ◽  
Philosophy Of History ◽  
Critical Philosophy ◽  
La Paz ◽  
Complementary Relationship ◽  
Historical Texts ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
Common Task ◽  
El Sistema ◽  
Law And Morality

La filosofía kantiana de la historia: dialéctica entre naturaleza y libertad. El texto pretende mostrar el lugar que ocupan los estudios socio-históricos de Kant, en el sistema de su filosofía crítica. Se sostiene que en la filosofía de la historia, Kant desarrolla una dialéctica entre naturaleza y libertad, con la quepuede superar el abismo entre la razón teórica y la razón práctica. Se explicita la relación de complementariedad entre el derecho y la moral como dos legislaciones que cumplen con una tarea común: alcanzar la paz. Palabras clave: filosofía de la historia, Kant, libertad, paz.AbstractKant’s Philosophy of History: Dialectic between Nature and Freedom. This text aims to show the position occupied by Kant’s socio-historical texts within the system of his critical philosophy. It is argued that in Kant’s Philosophy of History, he develops a dialectic between nature and freedom, which can bridge the gap between theoretical and practical Reason. This study explores the complementary relationship between law and morality as that of two concepts that carry out a common task: achieving peace.Key Words: philosophy of history, Kant, freedom, peace.

scholarly journals Moral Judgement as a Method in Historiography: An Analysis of al-Biruni’s al-Athar al-Baqiyah ‘an al-Qurun al-Khaliyah

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-149
Author(s):  
Mohammad Umair Abd Rahim ◽  
Mohd Syahmir Alias
Keyword(s):  
Research Method ◽  
Epistemic Justification ◽  
Religious Tradition ◽  
Philosophy Of History ◽  
Moral Judgement ◽  
Critical Philosophy ◽  
Ibn Khaldun

The practice of moral judgement in historiography is a topic in critical philosophy of history. In general, there are two opinions on the practice of moral judgement in history: firstly, those who are against it, such as Croce, Bloch and Butterfield; secondly, those who are in support of it, such as Lord Acton, Ibn Khaldun and al-Biruni. Understanding the practice is crucial in facilitating “intellectual serenity” among historians in deciding on their research method. This article discusses al-Biruni’s position and epistemic justification on the issue of moral judgement in research in history. The analysis of al-Biruni’s perspective, based on his book, al-Athar al-Baqiyah ‘an al-Qurun al-Khaliyah, shows that his epistemic justification on moral judgement in history was influenced by his religious tradition.

scholarly journals O Papel do “Tribunal da História” na Constituição do Direito

REVISTA PLURI ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 187
Author(s):  
Gustavo Angelelli
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Philosophy Of History ◽  
Modern Concept ◽  
Critical Philosophy ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Concept Of Law

A noção de rule of law (Estado de direito) é central no conceito moderno de direito e nos debates atuais em torno do direito e da legitimidade dos governos. Este artigo reflete sobre a figura do “tribunal da história” na constituição do direito e aponta para a necessidade de que a defesa do projeto substantivo do rule of law, exemplarmente encampada por David Dyzenhaus, seja acompanhada de uma filosofia crítica da história.Palavras-chave: Rule of law, Estado de direito, Tribunal da história, Filosofia crítica da história, Filosofias da história.AbstractThe notion of rule of law is central to the modern concept of law and the current debates about law and the legitimacy of governments. This article reflects on the figure of the “court of history” in the constitution of law and argues that the defense of the substantive project of the rule of law, exemplarily encamped by David Dyzenhaus, must be accompanied by a critical philosophy of history.Keywords: Rule of law, Estado de direito, Court of History, Critical philosophy of history, Philosophies of history

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