Nothing but History: Reconstruction and Extremity After Metaphysics
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
What is the role of history in our "postmetaphysical" age? Surveying two centuries of philosophical writing, David Roberts offers a thoughtful guide to the philosophy of history before the recent challenges associated with deconstructive postmodernism. He then argues for a moderate intellectual tradition in which historical knowledge, although freed from transcendent values, continues to play a crucial role in the conduct of human affairs.
Roberts's careful account of historicism explores the ideas of its major nineteenth-century representatives and foils, including Hegel, Dilthey, and Nietzsche. His thorough consideration of such twentieth-century thinkers as Gadamer, Croce, Foucault, and Heidegger contributes vitally to the ongoing discussions about the use and abuse of history. Certain to engage historians and philosophers, this book will interest scholars across the humanities who are concerned with the present and future utility of historical thinking.
From the Inside Flap
"An admirable accomplishment. . . . Roberts provides valuable insights into the current debate on the nature of historical knowledge in our present 'postmodern' time. Anyone concerned with the philosophy of history will need to reckon with this book."--Allan D. Megill, author of Prophets of Extremity
Nothing but History: Reconstruction and Extremity After Metaphysics
Nothing But History: Reconstruction and Extremity after Metaphysics,David D. Roberts,University of California Press,0520200802,Historiography,History,History: American,Metaphysics,Philosophy,Philosophy Of History,History / General,History: theory & methods
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