The Concept of History

Description

The Concept of History reflects on the presuppositions behind the contemporary understanding of history that often remain implicit and not spelled out. It is a critique of the modern understanding of history that presents it as universal and teleological, progressively moving forward to an end. Although few contemporary philosophers and historians maintain the view that there is strict universality and teleology in history, the remnants of these positions still affect our understanding of history. But if history is not universal and singular, evolving toward an objective universal end, it should be possible to admit of multiple histories, some of which we appropriate as our own. An another important aspect of this book is that if provides an account of history that is itself both historical and rooted in attempts to narrate and explain history from its inception in antiquity. The book seeks to establish features or constituents of history that might be found in any historical account and might themselves be considered historical invariants in history.

Dmitri Nikulin is Professor of Philosophy and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Philosophy at The New School for Social Research in New York, USA. His interests range from ancient and early modern philosophy to the philosophy of dialogue and of literature. He is the author of a number of books including Matter, Imagination and Geometry (2002), On Dialogue (2006), Dialectic and Dialogue (2010), and Comedy, Seriously (2014). He is also the editor of and contributor to The Other Plato (2012) and Memory: A Philosophical History ( 2015).

Nikulin's book is a remarkable effort of scholarship. He presents a compelling argument for how the very conception of history with which we operate is itself a historical product that emerged as a practice through a process of assimilation and differentiation from other practices and forms of discourse ... Thus even if one disagrees with the conclusions the author reaches, it is hard to see how anyone could write about the philosophy of history without somehow acknowledging and confronting the conceptual advancements this book sets forth. * Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal * [A] major contribution to the understanding of what history is and what it is not ... The author is at his best not only when he argues that historians seek meaning in their choice of subjects and seek truth in dealing with them, but also when he notes that they may seek to save the past for the future. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students and faculty. * CHOICE * Nikulin offers a wide-ranging and compelling treatment of the philosophy of history. The book's implications are philosophically significant and will interest a range of readers. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review * Nikulin's tour de force questions three deeply-held idols in the philosophy of history: 1. that history is purposeful, 2. history is unidirectional, and 3. history is systematic. Rather than simply debunk them, however, his rigorous analysis shows how the question of what history amounts to remains philosophically relevant. Through an exploration demonstrating equal familiarity with Homer and the ancient historians, the early moderns and German idealists, and current practitioners such as Hayden White and Jan Assmann, Nikulin shows that history is both multifaceted yet unifying, structured yet fluid, without purpose yet not bereft of meaning. The chapters on Homer and Memory alone may well be worth the price of the book. This study contains insights relevant to the entire range of interested parties--from first-time inquirers to specialists. It makes a real contribution to the revivification of philosophical interest in history. -- Jeffrey Bernstein, Associate Professor of philosophy, College of the Holy Cross, USA Nikulin offers us a significant and mature reflection on the philosophy of history that asks for our attentive consideration. He writes with impressive intelligence, wide ranging reference and in a thoughtful manner that engages the reader. Avoiding the extreme of a univocal universal history, he offers us a pluralistic view of multiple histories, without at the same time falling into historicist relativism. Warmly recommended. * William Desmond, Professor of Philosophy, Villanova University, USA *