مقدمه‌ای بر فلسفه تاریخ

"Aron's Introduction to the Philosophy of History is one of the most important studies of the uses of historical knowledge to appear in the twentieth century. It is an essential corrective alike to the speculations of the prophets like Spengler and Toynbee and to the professional narrowness of 'scientific' academic historians."- Crane Brinton "This work by one of France's leading scholars and political commentators is probably the one thing worth reading among the pulp mills of 'must reads.' It is very good indeed to have an essay in English which serves as a thorough critique of thinking which is called 'historical' and claims to be 'scientific.' "-Commonweal "Aron presents us with a penetrating and subtle criticism of historicist attitudes .... Indeed his book may be said to be the most elaborate and constructive handling of this intellectual problem which can be read in this country."-The (Manchester) Guardian Raymond Aron, the leading political commentator in France today, holds a chair in sociology at the Sorbonne. During World War II, he edited La France Libre and since the war has written for Figaro. Among his books are The Century of Total War, On War and France: Steadfast and Changing. Introduction Section I THE PAST AND THE CONCEPTS OF H ISTORY Introduction I Theory and History (Order and Chance) II Natural Histories III Natural History and Human History IV Time and the Concepts of History Section II HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING General Introduction: Understanding and Meaning First Part: From the Individual to History Introduction I Knowledge of Self II Knowledge of Others III Objective Mind and Collective Reality IV Historical Knowledge Conclusion Second Part: Intellectual Universes and the Plurality of Systems of Interpretation Introduction I The Plurality of Systems of Interpretation II The Understanding of Ideas III The Understanding of Men IV The Understanding of Facts Conclusion: The Dissolution of the Object Third Part: Evolution and the Plurality of Perspectives Introduction: The Concept of Evolution I The History of Ideas II The History of Facts and of Institutions III Explanation of Origin and Retrospective Rationalism IV Human Evolution Conclusion: Development and Evolution General Conclusion of Section II: The Limits of Understanding Section III HISTORICAL DETERMINISM AND CAUSAL THOUGHT Introduction: Directions of Causa} Inquiry First Part: Events and Historical Causality I The Schema of Historical Causality II Causality and Responsibility III Causality and Chance IV Limits and Meaning of Historical Causality Conclusion Second Part: Regularities and Sociological Causality I Natural Causes II Social Causes III Social Causes and Individual Conditions (Limits of Statistical Causality) IV Cause and Prime Mover (From Causality to Theory) Conclusion Third Part: Historical Determinism I Historical Causality and Sociological Causality II Laws of History and Society III Causal Synthesis IV Historical Determinism Conclusion: Causality and Probability General Conclusion of Section III: The Limits of Causal Objectivity and of Historical Causality Section IV HISTORY AND TRUTH Introduction First Part: The Limits of the Science of the Past I Understanding and Causality II The Structure of the World of History (Plurality and Totality) III The Limits of Historical Objectivity IV Science and Philosophy of History Conclusion: The Relativity of Historical Knowledge Second Part: The Limits of Relativism in History I Historical Relativism II Beyond Relativism III History and Ideology IV The Plurality of Modes of Consideration Conclusion Third Part: Man and History I Man in History: Choice and Action II Historical Man: The Decision III The History of Man: The Search for Truth IV Historical Time and Freedom Index