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.
From the Back Cover
The philosophy of historiography examines our representations andknowledge of the past, the relation between evidence, inference,explanation and narrative. Do we possess knowledge of the past? Dowe just have probable beliefs about the past, or is historiographya piece of convincing fiction? The philosophy of history is thedirect philosophical examination of history, whether it isnecessary or contingent, whether it has a direction or whether itis coincidental, and if it has a direction, what it is, and how andwhy it is unfolding?
The fifty entries in this Companion cover the main issuesin the philosophies of historiography and history, includingnatural history and the practices of historians. Written by aninternational and multi-disciplinary group of experts, theseclearly written entries present a cutting-edge updated picture ofcurrent research in the philosophies of historiography andhistory.
This Companion will be of interest to philosophers,historians, natural historians, and social scientists.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Review
"Like the encompassing nature of the other volumes in the BlackwellCompanion to Philosophy series, undergraduate students and scholarswith a serious interest in philosophical problems related tohistory and historiography should benefit from the newestCompanion." (Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2012)
"This volume does a fine job of showing the field's connectionsto many of the central concerns of contemporary philosophy. PartFour offers essays addressing the traditional schools and issues ofphilosophy of history and historiography, as well as valuableessays on postmodernism, Muslim philosophy of history, andphilosophy of history at the end of the Cold War, among othertopics. Recommended." ( Choice, June 2009)
"Tucker is to be congratulated…for conceiving of thiswork, and for soliciting, selecting, organizing, and editing itsessays—all of which were written especially for the volume.[E]ach essay presents a particular author's take on a subject,often ending with further questions and suggestions. In this way itresembles a conversational partner who accompanies one along theway, stimulating further reflection as well as providinginteresting information and observations. A companion literally issomeone who breaks bread with another (com: with; panis: bread),and it certainly is the case that these essays—so clearlywritten, so mercifully manageable in length, and so sharp infocus—collectively and individually provide a great deal offood for thought. [T]he range and scope of the volume…is impressive by anystandard. The fact that the authors are world-class authorities inthe areas in which they are writing, and that they have made aspecial effort (prodded, no doubt, by its editor), to write inclear, jargon-free prose, makes evident the appeal and usefulnessof the book. Too, the book is handsomely produced and wellcopy-edited by Wiley-Blackwell." (Brian Fay, Journal of thePhilosophy of History )
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
About the Author
Aviezer Tucker has held research positions at the Australian National University, New York University, Columbia University and the Central European University in Prague. He is the author of Our Knowledge of the Past: A Philosophy ofHistoriography (2004) and is an editor of the Journal of Philosophy of History. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Review
"This volume does a fine job of showing the field's connections to many of the central concerns of contemporary philosophy. Part Four offers essays addressing the traditional schools and issues of philosophy of history and historiography, as well as valuable essays on postmodernism, Muslim philosophy of history, and philosophy of history at the end of the Cold War, among other topics. Recommended." ( Choice, June 2009)
"Tucker is to be congratulated…for conceiving of this work, and for soliciting, selecting, organizing, and editing its essays—all of which were written especially for the volume. [E]ach essay presents a particular author's take on a subject, often ending with further questions and suggestions. In this way it resembles a conversational partner who accompanies one along the way, stimulating further reflection as well as providing interesting information and observations. A companion literally is someone who breaks bread with another (com: with; panis: bread), and it certainly is the case that these essays—so clearly written, so mercifully manageable in length, and so sharp in focus—collectively and individually provide a great deal of food for thought. [T]he range and scope of the volume…is impressive by any standard. The fact that the authors are world-class authorities in the areas in which they are writing, and that they have made a special effort (prodded, no doubt, by its editor), to write in clear, jargon-free prose, makes evident the appeal and usefulness of the book. Too, the book is handsomely produced and well copy-edited by Wiley-Blackwell." (Brian Fay, Journal of the Philosophy of History )
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Inside Flap
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.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Review
"Since the writing of history is part of the humanities, the socialsciences, and the natural sciences, the philosophical questionspertaining thereto have often been isolated from each other. Not sohere. This volume is full of riches." – Elliott Sober , University of Wisconsin
"Anyone interested in thinking about history, from the greatsystems to analyzing how historians support their truth claims,will find these expert essays a splendid introduction." – Richard Vann , Senior Editor, History andTheory
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
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.
From the Back Cover
The philosophy of historiography examines our representations andknowledge of the past, the relation between evidence, inference,explanation and narrative. Do we possess knowledge of the past? Dowe just have probable beliefs about the past, or is historiographya piece of convincing fiction? The philosophy of history is thedirect philosophical examination of history, whether it isnecessary or contingent, whether it has a direction or whether itis coincidental, and if it has a direction, what it is, and how andwhy it is unfolding?
The fifty entries in this Companion cover the main issuesin the philosophies of historiography and history, includingnatural history and the practices of historians. Written by aninternational and multi-disciplinary group of experts, theseclearly written entries present a cutting-edge updated picture ofcurrent research in the philosophies of historiography andhistory.
This Companion will be of interest to philosophers,historians, natural historians, and social scientists.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Review
"Like the encompassing nature of the other volumes in the BlackwellCompanion to Philosophy series, undergraduate students and scholarswith a serious interest in philosophical problems related tohistory and historiography should benefit from the newestCompanion." (Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2012)
"This volume does a fine job of showing the field's connectionsto many of the central concerns of contemporary philosophy. PartFour offers essays addressing the traditional schools and issues ofphilosophy of history and historiography, as well as valuableessays on postmodernism, Muslim philosophy of history, andphilosophy of history at the end of the Cold War, among othertopics. Recommended." ( Choice, June 2009)
"Tucker is to be congratulated…for conceiving of thiswork, and for soliciting, selecting, organizing, and editing itsessays—all of which were written especially for the volume.[E]ach essay presents a particular author's take on a subject,often ending with further questions and suggestions. In this way itresembles a conversational partner who accompanies one along theway, stimulating further reflection as well as providinginteresting information and observations. A companion literally issomeone who breaks bread with another (com: with; panis: bread),and it certainly is the case that these essays—so clearlywritten, so mercifully manageable in length, and so sharp infocus—collectively and individually provide a great deal offood for thought.
[T]he range and scope of the volume…is impressive by anystandard. The fact that the authors are world-class authorities inthe areas in which they are writing, and that they have made aspecial effort (prodded, no doubt, by its editor), to write inclear, jargon-free prose, makes evident the appeal and usefulnessof the book. Too, the book is handsomely produced and wellcopy-edited by Wiley-Blackwell." (Brian Fay, Journal of thePhilosophy of History )
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
About the Author
Aviezer Tucker has held research positions at the Australian National University, New York University, Columbia University and the Central European University in Prague. He is the author of Our Knowledge of the Past: A Philosophy of Historiography (2004) and is an editor of the Journal of Philosophy of History. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Review
"This volume does a fine job of showing the field's connections to many of the central concerns of contemporary philosophy. Part Four offers essays addressing the traditional schools and issues of philosophy of history and historiography, as well as valuable essays on postmodernism, Muslim philosophy of history, and philosophy of history at the end of the Cold War, among other topics. Recommended." ( Choice, June 2009)
"Tucker is to be congratulated…for conceiving of this work, and for soliciting, selecting, organizing, and editing its essays—all of which were written especially for the volume. [E]ach essay presents a particular author's take on a subject, often ending with further questions and suggestions. In this way it resembles a conversational partner who accompanies one along the way, stimulating further reflection as well as providing interesting information and observations. A companion literally is someone who breaks bread with another (com: with; panis: bread), and it certainly is the case that these essays—so clearly written, so mercifully manageable in length, and so sharp in focus—collectively and individually provide a great deal of food for thought.
[T]he range and scope of the volume…is impressive by any standard. The fact that the authors are world-class authorities in the areas in which they are writing, and that they have made a special effort (prodded, no doubt, by its editor), to write in clear, jargon-free prose, makes evident the appeal and usefulness of the book. Too, the book is handsomely produced and well copy-edited by Wiley-Blackwell." (Brian Fay, Journal of the Philosophy of History )
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Inside Flap
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.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Review
"Since the writing of history is part of the humanities, the socialsciences, and the natural sciences, the philosophical questionspertaining thereto have often been isolated from each other. Not sohere. This volume is full of riches."
– Elliott Sober , University of Wisconsin
"Anyone interested in thinking about history, from the greatsystems to analyzing how historians support their truth claims,will find these expert essays a splendid introduction."
– Richard Vann , Senior Editor, History andTheory
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.