See Also: history, philosophy of(encyclopedia)
philosophy(encyclopedia)
Philosophy(medicine)
philosophy(dictionary)
philosophy(dictionary)
mathematics, philosophy of(encyclopedia)
Doctor of Philosophy(dictionary)
language, philosophy of(encyclopedia)
political philosophy(encyclopedia)
process philosophy(encyclopedia)

history, philosophy of (sh)




Branch of philosophy concerned with questions about the meaningfulness of history and the nature of historical explanation.

Philosophy of history in the traditional sense is conceived to be a first-order inquiry, its subject matter being the historical process as a whole and its broad aim being to provide an overall elucidation of its course. As a second-order inquiry, philosophy of history focuses on the methods by which practicing historians treat the human past. The former, often referred to as speculative philosophy of history, has had a long and varied career; the latter, known as critical or analytical philosophy of history, rose to prominence only in the 20th century.