Hermeneutical Philosophy of History: A Program for Research

Abstract

There is a long tradition of philosophers of history allying themselves with larger philosophical movements—with analytic philosophy, phenomenology, or pragmatism, for instance. Surprisingly, though, almost no work has been done on what a distinctively hermeneutical approach to the field might look like. This paper seeks to fill that gap. It sketches a hermeneutical philosophy of history, identifying its core commitments, its differences from other approaches, and its potential contributions to contemporary historical theory. My argument proceeds in two steps. First, I give an overview of hermeneutical philosophy in general by drawing on Paul Ricoeur’s classic essay “Phenomenology and Hermeneutics.” This essay identifies five principles that, according to Ricoeur, characterize hermeneutical approaches to philosophy. Next, using Ricoeur’s principles as clues, I identify five debates in contemporary philosophy of history that would strike hermeneutical thinkers as especially urgent, and in which a hermeneutical contribution would be particularly valuable.