An Analasis of Herder''s Speculative Thought: A Case Study of His Philosophy of History
Date Issued
2009
Date
2009
Author(s)
Chang, Su-Bang
Abstract
Abstract This thesis raises questions how and why the text-books of history of philosophy usually are the only and right way, namely as the dogma, for us to learn the conception of western philosophy. It attempts to free ourselves from the constructed scheme which binds our thinking. Further it explores the development of German philosophic thought since the Age of Enlightenment. Thus, the study can be critical or even creative, challenging the orthodox tradition, and at the same time, it may provide us with a starting point for the self-reflection of what we have to learn so far. After having traced the brief historical background of German Idealism in the 18th and 19th century, the author chooses Herder, to represent a school of philosophy other than the thinkers of the mainstream. Herder lived between the age of enlightenment and the period of Sturm und Drang. Using discursive methodology and hermeneutics, this writer began to reconstruct Herder’s thought. While illustrating Herder’s historical philosophy, the composer also compares Herder’s viewpoints with the contemporaneous philosophers’ and sociologists’ ideas, basically, to explicate their own thinking which was influenced by Herder’s doctrine. In this manner, the thesis restores the original position of Herder’s views which were dismissed by the mainstream philosophers. The essay discusses the importance of his thought, reevaluates his status and reputation in the intellectual history. Further, the treatise studies and analyzes his priciples at the same time, emphasizes his critics on the prejudice of so called “Euro-Centrism” in his time. Subsequently, the article illustrates how we can learn from his doctrine in order to solve the problematics involving in the dispute between “China-centrism” and “Taiwan-centrism” in the present-day Taiwan. In the conclusion, the thesis reiterates the influence of Herder’s opinion of history on his contemporaneous thinkers and his disciples, especially the impact on Hegel’s world outlook and historical conception. To a certain extent it exerts influence on Goethe’s literary style. Thus, the author of this essay rethinks the meaning of the word “philosophy”, gaining the new inspiration of how the content of truly philosophy is studied, by exploring the way and process of how Herder integrated religion, theology, history, geography, biology, anthropology and his literarily works into the system of his thought. Now it enables the author to understand that the philosophy by its name means “living”, （das Leben）. Hence, through Herder himself, we finally find out what is included in and excluded from philosophy. Actually, there isn’t a line which can effectively divide philosophizing and non- philosophizing. In the end the essay considers the difference of cultural diversity and the way to bridge the gap of eastern and western culture. And it also tries to take Herder’s hint as a new route of studying of sinology fundamentally, in order to break the traditional bias of linking Kantian philosophy to Chinese Confucianism as an authoritative interpretation. This can be done, if one analysizes and compares the western philosophies with the Chinese ideas in the time before Ch’in (Qin) dynasty, especially combining the interpretation of Taoism and Herder’s reflection as a prospect of cross-culture research in my future work.
Subjects
Herder
culture and civilization
philosophy of history
enlightenment and counter-enlightenment
humanity
cross-culture study
Type
thesis
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