"The term was coined by the French philosopher Voltaire."
The study of history as a way of revealing fundamental metaphysical truths about reality.
The nature of history: Understanding what history is and what it means, including the debate around whether it is a science or an art.
Historical causation: Examining the factors that contribute to historical events and how they interact with one another.
Teleology: Exploring the idea that history has an end goal or purpose, and evaluating the evidence for and against this claim.
Historical methodology: Understanding the tools and techniques that historians use to research and interpret the past.
Historical interpretation: Examining the ways in which different individuals and groups have interpreted historical events in different ways.
Historical knowledge: Questioning the reliability and accuracy of historical sources and the knowledge they provide.
Historical progress: Evaluating the idea that history has progressed over time and identifying key turning points that support or contradict this view.
Historical cycles: Considering the possibility that history repeats itself in cyclical patterns.
Historical contingency: Exploring the idea that history is shaped by chance events and contingencies, rather than pure determinism.
Historical consciousness: Examining the role of historical memory and the construction of collective historical identity.
Historical imagination: Exploring the ways in which historical knowledge can inspire artistic and literary expression.
Historical narrative: Understanding how historians construct coherent stories from disparate historical events and facts.
Historical context: Examining the social, cultural, and political contexts in which historical events take place, and how they shape those events.
Historical revisionism: Evaluating the role of historical revisionism in challenging established historical narratives, and the importance of critical historical thinking.
Historical relativism: Questioning the idea that there is only one true interpretation of history, and exploring the diversity of interpretations that exist.
Hegelian Philosophy of History: This type of philosophy of history is based on the teachings of German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Hegel believed that history was moving towards a universal endpoint, and that human progress was driven by the struggle between opposing forces, such as master-slave, lord-serf, or bourgeoisie-proletariat.
Marxist Philosophy of History: Karl Marx also believed that history was an ongoing class struggle between the working class (proletariat) and the ownership class (bourgeoisie). Marx proposed that this struggle would end in a communist revolution that would bring about a classless society.
Structuralist Philosophy of History: Structuralists believe that the structure of society determines its development. This theory believes that the meaning of the events of the past can only be understood in the context of the social structures in which they occurred.
Postmodernist Philosophy of History: Following the collapse of the grand theories of progress, postmodernists offer a more skeptical view of history. They argue that there is no objective truth in history, and that historical events are always subject to interpretation.
Feminist Philosophy of History: Feminist philosophers of history believe that traditional histories have been gender-biased and male-dominated. They propose that women's contributions to history must be identified and written into the historical record.
Conservative Philosophy of History: Conservative philosophy of history is sometimes referred to as traditionalist thinking; it is often concerned with preserving the continuity and stability of political and social institutions. They believe that history teaches us valuable lessons that can be applied to the present.
Liberal Philosophy of History: Liberal philosophy of history emerged from the enlightenment period and is defined by its emphasis on individual freedom and human rights. This philosophy sees society as evolving toward greater personal and political freedoms.
Postcolonial Philosophy of History: Postcolonial philosophy of history is concerned with analyzing the impact of colonialism on the colonized population. This philosophy focuses on the need to acknowledge the role of colonialism in shaping world history.
Environmental Philosophy of History: Environmental philosophy of history is based on the notion that nature has a significant impact on human civilization. This view proposes that humans' relationship to the natural world is central to understanding the course of history.
Psychoanalytic Philosophy of History: This philosophy of history analyzes historical events from a psychological perspective. It proposes that deeper psychological motivations drive historical actors, and that understanding these motivations is essential to understanding historical events.
"The former questions the meaning and purpose of the historical process whereas the latter studies the foundations and implications of history and the historical method."
"Contemporary philosophy of history has developed a distinction between the speculative philosophy of history and the critical philosophy of history."
"The names of these are derived from C. D. Broad's distinction between critical philosophy and speculative philosophy."
"Speculative philosophy of history questions the meaning and purpose of the historical process."
"Critical philosophy of history studies the foundations and implications of history and the historical method."
"The latter [critical philosophy of history] studies the foundations and implications of history and the historical method."
"Speculative philosophy of history questions the meaning and purpose of the historical process."
"Critical philosophy of history studies the foundations and implications of history and the historical method."
"The critical philosophy of history is now referred to as analytic."
"The former questions the meaning and purpose of the historical process whereas the latter studies the foundations and implications of history and the historical method."
"The names of these are derived from C. D. Broad's distinction between critical philosophy and speculative philosophy."
"Speculative philosophy of history questions the meaning and purpose of the historical process."
"Critical philosophy of history studies the foundations and implications of history and the historical method."
"The names of these are derived from C. D. Broad's distinction between critical philosophy and speculative philosophy."
"The speculative philosophy of history and the critical philosophy of history."
"The critical philosophy of history studies the foundations and implications of history and the historical method."
"The former [speculative philosophy of history] questions the meaning and purpose of the historical process."
"The critical philosophy of history is now referred to as analytic."
"The names of these are derived from C. D. Broad's distinction between critical philosophy and speculative philosophy."