historicism

is a mode of thinking that, rather than seeing history as a set of trans-historical, supra-temporal, timeless truths, assigns special significance to the context and singular nature of events (i.e. Period, place, and local culture).

Historicism is a mode of thinking that assigns major significance to a specific context, such as historical period, geographical place and local culture. As such it stands in contrast to individualist theories of knowledge such as empiricism and rationalism, which neglect the role of traditions.[citation needed] '

is an approach to history which rejects the view that historical events can be grasped apart from their broader context.

Maurice Mandelbaum, in what must now be regarded as the most comprehensive philosophical analysis of the term, defines 'historicism' as a demand that 'we reject the view that historical events have an individual character which can be grasped apart from viewing them as embedded within a pattern of development': History, Man, and Reason: Study in Nineteenth-Century Thought (Baltimore, 1971), 42-43. Mandelbaum denies, however, that historicism is either a Weltanschauung or an ideology, much less a philosophical position. Historicism is rather, he argues, a 'methodological belief concerning explanation and evaluation,' which holds that 'an adequate under-standing of the nature of any phenomenon and an adequate assessment of its value are to be gained by considering it in terms of the place it occupied and the role it played within a process of development' {ibid.). Historicism is thus, by Mandelbaum's lights, a theory of value linked with some version of geneticism. Nonetheless, his objections to it are substantially the same as Popper's. Historicist err by conceptualizing history as a 'stream' of development, rather than as 'a very complex web whose individual strands have separate though interlacing histories' (ibid.). (H whyte)

is an approach to history which respects the incomprehensible truth, reality, and uniqueness of events.

I have no quarrel with the student of history who brings to his work a touchinglychildish, innocent faith in the power of our minds and our methods to order reality,'Father Jacobus declares, 'but first and foremost he must respect the incomprehensible truth, reality, and uniqueness of events.' (glass bead game).

is an approach toward history which works to undermine all claims to certainty of knowledge, whether in the scientific or political realm.

While for Popper, historicism becomes a repository of justifications for totalitarianism, for Rorty historicism works to undermine all claims to certainty of knowledge, whether in the scientific or politcal realm. In this manner of extending the analysis from science to politics, Rorty resembles Popper, except that Rorty turns historicism into a good thing, philosophically speaking: 'This historicist turn has helped free us, gradually but steadily, from theology and metaphysics from the temptation to look for an escape from time and chance.'

Talcott Parsons criticized historicism as a case of idealistic fallacy in The Structure of Social Action (1937).

is, for Popper, the (flawed) idea that there are historical laws, and that such laws allow for a science of history involving prediction and explanation of historical events. . . . He argues that the best they can do is provide general interpretations.

Popper chooses to define historicism as the position that there are historical laws, and that such laws allow for a science of history involving prediction and explanation of historical events. Popper's prime examples of historicist are Mill and Marx, though he thinks it is a view widely held by social scientist and intellectuals. Popper also links historicism to what he calls 'methodological holism.' He means that some historicist also hold the view that the study of history involves postulating the existence of collective entities or subjects such as labor, capital, the state, or the church. It is then a methodological assumption that these collectives act as individual agents. Popper adheres to methodological individualism that denies the possibility of collective agency. A Companion to the Philosophy of History and Historiography edited by Aviezer Tucker

is the idea that thought is its own time raised to the level of thought. In other words, a thinker is always really just giving you a picture of how things look at that particular time from the point of view of that particular society or culture.

one last point then he calls his own view historicism he says philosophy is its own time raised to the level of thought what any thinker is doing is really just giving you a picture of how things look at that particular time from the point of view of that particular society or culture so he says philosophy combines the fight in the infant the relative and the absolute

is a critical movement insisting on the prime importance of historical context to the interpretation of texts of all kinds.

Historicism, currently very powerful in the literary academy, is definable as ‘a critical movement insisting on the prime importance of historical context to the interpretation of texts of all kinds’ (Hamilton 1996: 2).

historicism, n.Definitions

historicism