This volume explores R.G. Collingwood’s philosophy of history and analyzes various aspects of Collingwood’s work including his ‘lost’ manuscript and his posthumously published autobiography. Offering a follow up to the author’s revised book History as a Science: The Philosophy of R.G. Collingwood (Springer, 2012), this volume clarifies much-debated aspects of Collingwood’s philosophy of history, such as his position on the notion of history as the history of thought, the interpretation of evidence, the relationship between nature and history and the autonomy of historical thought. The first six essays introduce and discuss aspects of Collingwood’s philosophy of history, including the ‘lost’ manuscript of The Principles of History, some 90 manuscript pages dating from 1939 that were rediscovered in 1995. Also addressed is the manipulation of parts of this manuscript by T.M. Knox in editing The Idea of History. Other topics include an appraisal of Collingwood’s late work An Autobiography; the philosophical context of his re-enactment theory; his views on the ideas of process, progress and civilization and his unresolved claim that history is a science. The remaining chapters span a range of topics in historiography, historical science, historical consciousness and civilization. The author addresses the most substantial epistemological problem in the study of history: how can we know the past, which is a reality that no longer exists? He also discusses the notion of time as regards the historical process, historical consciousness and historiography. Additional essays include appraisals of the work of Herodotus and Toynbee, a discussion of the ethical basis for the idea that the present generation is responsible for the fate of future generations and an analysis of the consequences for history of contemporary debates on human rights.
- ISBN: 978-3-319-20671-4
- Editorial: Springer
- Encuadernacion: Cartoné
- Páginas: 300
- Fecha Publicación: 08/10/2015
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés