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Action as History

The Historical Thought of R.G. Collingwood

Stein Helgeby

R.G. Collingwood's philosophy of history reflected both his historical practices and his moral philosophy. Reflection on historical practice provided Collingwood with a theory of knowledge; his moral philosophy provided a theory of the object of history. Moral philosophy animated Collingwood's philosophy of history with a purpose: the philosophy of history was to provide the grounds for a rational faith in the possibility of solving human problems. The relevance of Collingwood's thought to contemporary understandings of history and action lies in his desire to restore and deepen modern faith in reason, progress, civility and the malleability of human institutions. This study shows how Collingwood's concepts of action and history developed together, and how they illuminate his understanding of modern historical consciousness and civilization.

Table of Contents

  • Activity and Philosophy
  • The World as Process
  • Thought and Logic
  • The Logic of Question and Answer
  • Moral Philosophy and History
  • Duty and Individuality
  • The Historical Object
  • Knowing the Historical Object
  • Historical Self-Consciousness
  • Historical Civilisation
  • Bibliography of works cited in the text
  • Index

    • · ISBN 0-907845-57-6 · Published February 2004 by Imprint Academic · Cloth · 250 pages · $49.90 ·

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