SS2 - Philosophy of History
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Transcript of 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.
HistoryHistory as the Expressionas the Expression ofofReasonReason or Spiritor Spirit
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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
HistoryHistory as the Expressionas the Expression ofofReasonReason or Spiritor Spirit
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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.
HistoryHistory as the Expressionas the Expression ofofReasonReason or Spiritor Spirit
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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.
Economic Interpretation of HistoryEconomic Interpretation of History
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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
Economic Interpretation of HistoryEconomic Interpretation of History
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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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