Critique and Reform of the Philosophy of History in Herder's Auch eine Philosophie der Geschichte zur Bildung der Menschheit

Abstract

The polemical character of Auch eine Philosophie der Geschichte zur Bildung der Menschheit (1774) has been widely recognized by the specialized literature. However, this is still a cause of disagreement, since it is not clear how the various criticisms he presents are related, nor to what they point as a whole. Some people claim that Herder directs his criticisms primarily against Voltaire's and Isaak Iselin’s philosophy of history, with the intention of refuting certain opinions present in both. Others, meanwhile, argue that the target of the criticisms is not the specific doctrines of the authors mentioned in the treatise, but the general conception of history that they all share. According to this research, both interpretative positions are insufficient, since they fail to account for the function of the criticisms within Herder's project. The present article is intended to show how the criticisms are linked to the new philosophy of history proposed in the treatise. For this purpose, Herder's criticisms will be systematized, distinguishing between those of a general nature, directed against universalism, and those of a more particular one, directed against the progressist and relativist conceptions of history. Then, it will provide a reconstruction of the main doctrines defended by Herder, going from the formation of nations to the meaning of human history. And, finally, the criticisms will be put in relation to Herder's doctrines, to conclude that both converge in his effort to overcome the dichotomies of the philosophy of history of his time.