ss2 - philosophy of history

8/6/2019 SS2 - Philosophy of History

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What is history?

What is the relationship between specific

events and the course of history as a

whole? Are there ends that are being achieved

and values that are being built up?


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Is there progress in the direction of

rationality, liberty, justice and human

welfare?

Is there pattern order, a plot, a theme, a

development that we can discern?


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The events of history are causally connected,

but they must also have a unique quality so

that they can be distinguished one fromanother.

Note: If there is no novelty or uniqueness inhistory, then history is pure recurrences. If

history is pure recurrences, is there history at all?


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0n the other hand, if each event is unique,

how can historian make generalization

about history?


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What is the distinction of human history

and human events from nature? which ispure recurrence?

The question of unity of history: Whetherthere is one story of mans history to which

we can give meaning?

If there is meaning, how is it related to the

meaning of life, and is that meaning to be

located within history itself?


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Is there pattern to history, and if so, does

that pattern destroy the freedom of thehistorical agent man?

Is there purpose in history, and does manenvisage ends in history not found in

nature?


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INTERPRETATION OF HISTORY

A.The Cyclical View This view understood the course of history

in terms of the cycle of nature. The theory

equated the historical cycle of birth and

death was represented by the rise and fall

of an empire.


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CyclicalCyclical ViewView

History is the realms of endless

recurrences. Idea of transition of life is

through TRANSMIGRATION or perpetualwheels of rebirths.


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Friedrich Nietzsche revived

this idea in his Doctrine of

Perpetual Recurrences.

Does History repeat itself?

CyclicalCyclical ViewView


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B. The Biblical View

History is the workingout of the divine

purpose. It is Gods

act of grace.

St. Augustine sets

the providential viewof history as the

revelation of Gods

purpose.


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God is at work in human affairs and that

society was moving in the direction of

righteousness and peace.

God express Himself through occasional

and unique manifestations of His presenceor He is constantly present in history and

in nature.

TheThe Biblical ViewBiblical View


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C. History as the Expression

ofReason or Spirit Reason replaces faith as the central idea

in the interpretation of history

- Immanuel Kant- Idea of universal

History

- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Philosophy of History


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Hegel general thesis is that reality is spiritmanifesting itself in nature, in human

history and in the actions of man. History

is the development of spirit throughsuccessive stages.

When the spirit reaches its stage ofrational freedom, it is fully conscious.

HistoryHistory as the Expressionas the Expression ofofReasonReason or Spiritor Spirit


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World history belongs not to the realm of

matter, but to the realm of spirit because

the essence of matter is gravity, theessence of spirit is rational freedom.

Reason is the essence not providentialReason is the essence not providentialintervention.intervention.



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Historical process is dialectic movement ofthesis-anti-thesis-synthesis

Affirmation to denial

Or from claim to counter claim to a new

integration



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Benedetto Croce

reinterpreted Hegelsphilosophy. He stated that

there is no difference

between history of the past

and contemporary historybecause according to him,

all history is contemporary

history.

Reality is history. History is

the substance of reality

therefore, a unifying subject

of life and thought.



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C. Economic Interpretation of History

Karl Marx and Friedrich

Engels published the

communist manifesto

and later Marx

presented his workentitled Das Kapital.

They view history from

their analysis on the

economic activities ofhuman. Thus,

dialectical materialism

is conceived.


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Economic Interpretation of HistoryEconomic Interpretation of History

Economic factors are the centralEconomic factors are the central

determinants in mans historicaldeterminants in mans historical

development.development.


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History is interpreted as a record of class

conflict in which the means of production,

distribution and exchange exert a

determining influence on the social

process.

Changes in the economic structure of

society cause changes in class relation.



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Karl Marx proposed the Five Economic Stages

1. Primitive Communism;

2. Ancient Slave System ofProduction;

3. Military and Feudal;

4. Bourgeois or Capitalist System and,5. Communism

Two phases of Communism

Socialism- period of dictatorship of the

proletariat (working class)

Pure Communism- classless society



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MODERN STUDIES OF HISTORY

A. Spangler and the

Decline of the West

Oswald Spengler publishedhis book entitled The

Decline of the West which

supports the idea that thewestern civilization is in the

period of decline from its

creative heights.


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SpenglerSpengler

The declining stage is the period of decay,

senility and skepticism There is no continuous and universal

world culture.

History is pluralistic, or made up of manycultures; there is, therefore, no single

straight line of development

Culture passes through four fairly distinctstages: Spring or childhood; summer or

blooming youth; autumnal fading or

maturity and winter or old age and death.


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B. Schweitzer and the Need forEthical

World View.

Albert Sweitzer sees culture in an actual

process of decay

The suicide of civilization is in process and

the parts that are left are no longer safe Until the middle of the 19th century, the

material and moral forces of society develop

side by side

In the recent year, however, moral energy has

declined, while the application of intellegence

in the material sphere has moved ahead

rapidly


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SchweitzerSchweitzer

Ethical foundation is

the basis of

civilization. We mustrecover its reverence

for life


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C. Whiteheads Philosophy of Civilization

and History

For Alfred Whitehead, there are certain

qualities or factors that are essential for any

high civilization: truth; beauty; adventure; art

and peace.

According to him, a single monistic

interpretation of history is inadequate and

misleading

The future is open and there is no inevitableprogress or decline

There will be either adventurous advance or a

deadly lethargy of decadence.


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WhiteheadWhitehead

Our society as aOur society as awhole has put toowhole has put too

much emphasis onmuch emphasis on

material productionmaterial productionand NOTENOUGHand NOTENOUGH

upon moral, aestheticupon moral, aesthetic

and spiritual values.and spiritual values.


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D. On the Growth and

Decline of Civilization

Arnold Toynbeebelieves that we need

to study society as a

whole not just states

or nations since it isdifficult to understand

the parts separately

We need to feel andcomprehend life as a

whole


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The critical questions confronting western

man are not military or economics or even

intellectual but, essentially moral and

religion.


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