R. G. Collingwood's Hermeneutics of History (eBook)

In the field of the philosophy of history of the 20th century, Collingwood's contributions stand above the rest. He was truly one of the most profoundly influential thinkers of his time. He was a philosopher, historian and archaeologist that combined the unique perspectives of all three disciplines. In relation to other historians and philosophers, his thinking and perspective were of a far deeper and more profound nature. In the West, most Collingwoodians come from philosophical circles. Their critiques and explanations of Collingwood's thought of history have already left an enormous contribution in this field. However, their discussions on this topic often fall short of the mark in understanding Collingwood, his thoughts on historical knowledge and his theory on the hermeneutics of history. They often explain Collingwood's thought on history from a purely philosophical perspective. However, Collingwood's views on history were an amalgamation of his reflections on history, philosophy and archaeology. This volume cuts to the core of Collingwood's work, closely elucidating how inter-subjective the process of "e;re-enactment"e; in history is for Collingwood and how structurally constitutive "e;question and answer"e; is of "e;re-enactment"e; across time between us today and past experiences ages ago.