Historism
Historism (Italian: storicismo) is a philosophical and historiographical theory, founded in 19th-century[1] Germany (as Historismus) and especially influential in 19th- and 20th-century Europe. In those times there was not a single natural, humanistic or philosophical science that would not reflect, in one way or another, the historical type of thought (cf. comparative historical linguistics etc.).[1] It pronounces the historicity of humanity and its binding to tradition.
This article is about historism as a philosophical and historiographical theory on historicity and awareness of the past. For the similarly used term historicism, see Historicism. For the method of interpreting the biblical apocalypse, see Historicism (Christian eschatology). For a school of art and architecture, see Historicism (art).
Historist historiography rejects historical teleology and bases its explanations of historical phenomena on sympathy and understanding (see Hermeneutics) for the events, acting persons, and historical periods. The historist approach takes to its extreme limits the common observation that human institutions (language, Art, religion, law, State) are subject to perpetual change.[2]
Historism is not to be confused with historicism,[3] nevertheless the English habits of using both words are very similar. (The term historism is sometimes reserved to identify the specific current called Historismus in the tradition of German philosophy and historiography.)[2]
Contemporary thought[edit]
20th-century German historians promoting some aspects of historism are Ulrich Muhlack, Thomas Nipperdey and Jörn Rüsen.
The Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset was influenced by historism.