Historism
A theory stressing the historical nature of human reality.
Historism (Historismus) is a philosophical and historiographical theory that emerged in 19th-century Germany and became highly influential across Europe. It emphasizes the historicity of humanity and its connection to tradition, rejecting teleological views of history. The approach holds that all human institutions are subject to perpetual change.
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- Field
- Philosophy, Historiography
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Core Principles and Concepts
Historism argues that human reality is entirely historical, and that people can only be understood as historical entities. It holds that historical events are unique and cannot be explained through general laws; each period must be understood within its own values. The method of Verstehen (understanding) is central, contrasting with the natural sciences' Erklären (explanation). Human nature is not fixed, and all cultural forms are products of historical development.
Notable exponents
Key exponents include German historians Leopold von Ranke and Johann Gustav Droysen, 20th-century historian Friedrich Meinecke, and philosopher Wilhelm Dilthey, who was influenced by Ranke. Jurists Friedrich Carl von Savigny and Karl Friedrich Eichhorn founded the German Historical School of Law under historism's influence. Italian philosopher Benedetto Croce and British colleague Robin George Collingwood were later European exponents, with Collingwood influenced by Dilthey.
Criticism
Historism has been deemed unpopular due to the dominance of logical positivism in the social sciences. Georg G. Iggers is a major critical author, with his book The German Conception of History being a classic critique. Friedrich Nietzsche denounced a 'malignant historical fever' in his essay, arguing that historists damaged human life by focusing on the past rather than the future, and called for a return to humanism. Karl Popper distinguished historicism from historism: historicism assumes historical prediction is possible through discovering laws or trends, while historism premises the individuality of each historical situation. Popper criticized Hegel's theory of history. Historian Stefan Berger proposed proper word usage based on Popper's definitions.
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