Description
This is the definitive companion to the study of the philosophy of history. It provides an accessible and comprehensive introduction to all the major philosophical concepts, issues and debates raised by history. Ideal for undergraduate students, the structure and content closely reflect the way the philosophy of history is studied and taught. Focusing on the key issues of historical interpretation this text explores and challenges the major philosophical theses encountered in historical study. The book offers lucid coverage of the philosophy of history and breaks new ground, extending the major debates and considering the latest directions in this growing area of philosophical interest. Subjects examined include: the importance of language; the relationship between the philosophy of history and the philosophy of science; the role of philosophy in shaping historical methodologies, narratives and approaches; the contributions of major philosophers to the philosophy of history. Mark Day's rigorous analysis is supplemented by useful pedagogical features, including key examples from historical and philosophical writing, summaries of core debates, study questions and guides to further reading.
Table of Contents
Preface
Part I: Evidence for the Past
Chapter One: An introduction to historical practice
1. The Past in the Present
2. The professionalisation of history
3. Relations with the Past
4. Forms of historical production
5. Further Reading and Study Questions
Chapter Two: Historical methodology
1. Scissors and Paste
2. Rules of historical reasoning
3. Peer reviews
4. A philosophical approach to historical reasoning
5. Primary sources
6. Further reading and study questions
Chapter Three: Reasoning from the evidence
1. Bayesianism
2. The limitations of Bayesianism
3. Explanation and interference
4. Unwinding the spool
5. Explanatory virtues
6. The preservation of testimony
7. Further reading and study questions
Part II: History as Science
Chapter Four: Abstraction and laws
1. What’s so great about science?
2. Abstraction and quantification
3. Positivism
4. Laws
5. Against universality
6. Rehabilitating causation
Further reading and study questions
Chapter Five: The Causal sciences
1. Against causation in history
2. Singular causation
3. Causation and contrasts
4. What is historical theory?
5. Justifying historical theories: comparison and contrast
6. Justifying historical theories: explaining how
7. Further reading and study questions
Chapter Six: Theory and particular
1. The historian’s role
2. A priori argument from particularity
3. Applying in general terms
4. The ‘chemical’ sciences
5. Combining theories in practice
6. Narrative and theory
7. Interim conclusion: is naturalism the best account of historical practice?
8. Further reading and study questions
Part III: History and interpretation
Chapter Seven: Feeling and thought
1. Questions in the philosophy of interpretation
2. Empathy
3. Collingwood and re-enactment
4. Living history
5. All history is the history of thought
6. Further reading and study questions
Chapter Eight: Actions, reasons and norms
1. Rationality
2. What is it to act rationally? Instrumentality and re-enactment
3. Meaning and society
4. Social norms
5. The Great Cat Massacre
6. Interim conclusion: interpretation and evidence
7. Further reading and study questions
Part IV: From Interpretation to Discourse
Chapter Nine: Subject and object
1. Historicism
2. Objectivity and evaluation
3. Selection and importance
4. Dialogue Further reading and study questions
Chapter Ten: Narrative
1. What are narratives?
2. Narrative and discourse
3. Metahistory
4. Narrative and truth
5. Collective narrative and metanarrative
6. Further reading and study questions
Part V: Truth and Reality
Chapter Eleven: The absent past
1.Overview: correspondence to reality
2. Overview: anti-realism and justification
3. Beyond statement truth
4. Qualified scepticism: degradation over time
5. Construction of the past
6. Present truth and past truth
7. Further reading and study questions
Chapter Twelve: Undetermination
1.Coherence and choice
2. Bayesianism reconsidered
3. Historiographical disagreement
4. Social construction
5. Linguistic Idealism
6.Practical relations to the past
7. Further reading and study questions
Conclusion
References
Author(s)
Mark Day,
Mark Day is Lecturer in Philosophy at Nottingham Trent University, UK.
Reviews
'This is the broadest and most updated introduction to the philosophy of history on sale. It is written very clearly and would be an ideal basic textbook for introductions to the philosophy of history and historical methodology.'
Dr Aviezer Tucker, School of Politics, Philosophy and International Relations, Queens University, Belfast
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'Day raises the philosophy of history to a new level, combining sharp theoretical criticism with a wealth of historical examples. While Mind, Metaphysics, and Morality may remain philosophy's great obsessions, this book will give a real boost to the proper study of History.'
Dr George Botterill, University of Sheffield and Hang Seng Centre for Cognitive Studies, UK
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'Day's work is intended as a study guide. Its structure and content closely reflect the undergraduate teaching of the philosophy of history, with recommendations for further reading.'
Times Higher Education
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