Our Knowledge of the Past

Our Knowledge of the Past PDF

Author: Aviezer Tucker

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2004-04-26

Total Pages: 303

ISBN-13: 1139452258

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How do historians, comparative linguists, biblical and textual critics and evolutionary biologists establish beliefs about the past? How do they know the past? This book presents a philosophical analysis of the disciplines that offer scientific knowledge of the past. Using the analytic tools of contemporary epistemology and philosophy of science the book covers such topics as evidence, theory, methodology, explanation, determination and underdetermination, coincidence, contingency and counterfactuals in historiography. Aviezer Tucker's central claim is that historiography as a scientific discipline should be thought of as an effort to explain the evidence of past events. He also emphasizes the similarity between historiographic methodology to Darwinian evolutionary biology. This is an important, fresh approach to historiography and will be read by philosophers, historians and social scientists interested in the methodological foundations of their disciplines.

A Companion to the Philosophy of History and Historiography

A Companion to the Philosophy of History and Historiography PDF

Author: Aviezer Tucker

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-06-28

Total Pages: 581

ISBN-13: 1444351524

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A COMPANION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY AND HISTORIOGRAPHY The philosophy of historiography examines our representations and knowledge of the past, the relation between evidence, inference, explanation and narrative. Do we possess knowledge of the past? Do we just have probable beliefs about the past, or is historiography a piece of convincing fiction? The philosophy of history is the direct philosophical examination of history, whether it is necessary or contingent, whether it has a direction or whether it is coincidental, and if it has a direction, what it is, and how and why it is unfolding? The fifty entries in this Companion cover the main issues in the philosophies of historiography and history, including natural history and the practices of historians. Written by an international and multi-disciplinary group of experts, these clearly written entries present a cutting-edge updated picture of current research in the philosophies of historiography and history. This Companion will be of interest to philosophers, historians, natural historians, and social scientists.

Philosophy of History

Philosophy of History PDF

Author: M.C. Lemon

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2003-08-29

Total Pages: 920

ISBN-13: 1134717466

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Philosophy of History is an essential introduction to a vast body of writing about history, from classical Greece and Rome to the modern world. M.C. Lemon maps out key debates and central concepts of philosophy of history, placing principal thinkers in the context of their times and schools of thought. Lemon explains the crucial differences between speculative philosophy as an enquiry into the content of history, and analytic philosophy of history as relating to the methods of history. The first two parts of the book trace each of these traditions, whereas the third part revisits both in the light of recent contributions to the discipline. This guide provides a comprehensive survey of historical thought since ancient times. Its clear terminology and lucid argument will make it an invaluable source for students and teachers alike.

The Philosophy of Historiography

The Philosophy of Historiography PDF

Author: John Lange

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2014-04-01

Total Pages: 805

ISBN-13: 1497616360

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A philosophical examination of the study of history, from its logic and semantics to its metaphysical and epistemological implications. This book is intended for the highly intelligent reader, who is interested in considering the difficulties, problems, and challenges of understanding and writing about the human past. It is popularly enough written, hopefully, to be a joy to read, and scholarly enough to be seriously instructive. The book has two major purposes, first, to give a reader an extensive, detailed overview of the field as it currently exists, and, second, to considerably enlarge the field itself, as it is the first book in the area to consider not only the epistemology of the field, but, in detail, its logic and semantics, its metaphysics, its axiology and its aesthetics.

The History of Philosophy

The History of Philosophy PDF

Author: A. C. Grayling

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2019-06-20

Total Pages: 559

ISBN-13: 0241980860

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AUTHORITATIVE AND ACCESSIBLE, THIS LANDMARK WORK IS THE FIRST SINGLE-VOLUME HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY SHARED FOR DECADES 'A cerebrally enjoyable survey, written with great clarity and touches of wit' Sunday Times The story of philosophy is an epic tale: an exploration of the ideas, views and teachings of some of the most creative minds known to humanity. But there has been no comprehensive history of this great intellectual journey since 1945. Intelligible for students and eye-opening for philosophy readers, A. C. Grayling covers with characteristic clarity and elegance subjects like epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, logic, and the philosophy of mind, as well as the history of debates in these areas, through the ideas of celebrated philosophers as well as less well-known influential thinkers. The History of Philosophy takes the reader on a journey from the age of the Buddha, Confucius and Socrates. Through Christianity's dominance of the European mind to the Renaissance and Enlightenment. On to Mill, Nietzsche, Sartre, then the philosophical traditions of India, China and the Persian-Arabic world. And finally, into philosophy today.

An Introduction to the Philosophy of History

An Introduction to the Philosophy of History PDF

Author: Michael Stanford

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 1998-02-04

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13: 0631199411

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This book uncovers the wealth of philosophical problems that history presents, and encourages further thought on how these issues grow out of historical questions.

Philosophy in History

Philosophy in History PDF

Author: Richard Rorty

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1984-11-08

Total Pages: 420

ISBN-13: 9780521273305

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Lectures delivered as a series at Johns Hopkins University during 1982-83.

New Contributions to the Philosophy of History

New Contributions to the Philosophy of History PDF

Author: Daniel Little

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2010-08-05

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9048194105

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Insights developed in the past two decades by philosophers of the social sciences can serve to enrich the challenging intellectual tasks of conceptualizing, investigating, and representing the human past. Likewise, intimate engagement with the writings of historians can deepen philosophers’ understanding of the task of knowing the past. This volume brings these perspectives together and considers fundamental questions, such as: What is historical causation? What is a large historical structure? How can we best conceptualize “mentalities” and “identities”? What is involved in understanding the subjectivity of historical actors? What is involved in arriving at an economic history of a large region? How are actions and outcomes related? The arguments touch upon a wide range of historical topics -- the Chinese and French Revolutions, the extension of railroads in the nineteenth century, and the development of agriculture in medieval China.

Nietzsche's Philosophy of History

Nietzsche's Philosophy of History PDF

Author: Anthony K. Jensen

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2013-07-04

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1107027322

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An exposition of the development of Nietzsche's philosophy of history in its historical context and of its relevance to contemporary theories.