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Philosophy of History

Code 15578
Year 3
Semester S2
ECTS Credits 6
Workload OT(15H)/TP(45H)
Scientific area Philosophy
Entry requirements None.
Learning outcomes – To reflect on the field of study of the Philosophy of History and its specificity as a branch of Philosophy.
– To examine the main philosophical conceptions of history and memory, their interpretations, their key concepts and their impact on contemporary thought.
– To understand, interpret, identify and present the main ideas and concepts of a text on the Philosophy of History.
– To explore the impacts of digital technology on collective memory and the construction of history in contemporary societies.
– To express correctly – both orally and in writing

Syllabus I. The relationship between the past and the future in modern history

1– Theory and method: the history of concepts (Begriffsgeschichte) and the concepts of history.
2 – The theological roots of the philosophy of history
3 – The availability of history and the temporalisation of concepts
4 – History of the expression Historia Magistra Vitae (“History is the teacher of life”)
5 – Space of experience (the present past) and horizon of expectation (the present future)
6 – Concepts of history in Friedrich Nietzsche and Walter Benjamin

II. The future of the past in modern times

1 – The concepts of the ‘contemporary era’ and ‘modern times’ in the theory of history and historiography
2 – The eras of the concept of the era
3 – The historical-political semantics of asymmetrical antithetical concepts: the example of “progress” and “decline”
4 – Formation and evolution of the antithesis “civilisation” vs. “culture”
5 – “Revolution” as concept and metaphor
Main Bibliography ARENDT, Hannah, Entre o passado e o futuro, Relógio D’ Água, Lisboa, 2006
BENJAMIN, Walter, O anjo da história, Assírio & Alvim, Lisboa, 2008.
BLUMENBERG, Hans, La légitimité des temps modernes, Gallimard, Paris, 1999.
BLUMENBERG, Hans, LÖWITH, Karl, SCHMITT, Carl, STRAUSS, Leo, Modernité et sécularisation, CNRS Editions, Paris, 2007.
HARTOG, François, Regimes de historicidade, Autêntica Editora, Belo Horizonte, 2013.
KOSELLECK, Rainer, Aceleración, prognosis y secularización, Pre-Textos, Valencia, 2003.
– O conceito de história, Autêntica Editora, Belo Horizonte, 2013.
– Futuro Passado. Contribuição à semântica dos tempos históricos, Contraponto, Rio de Janeiro, 2015.
LÖWITH, Karl, O sentido da história, Edições 70, Lisboa, 1991.
MONOD, Jean-Claude, La querelle de la sécularisation de Hegel a Blumenberg, Vrin, Paris, 2002
NIETZSCHE, Friedrich, Considerações intempestivas, Editorial Presença, Lisboa, 1976.
TRAVERZO, Enzo, O Passado, modos de usar, Tigre de Papel, Lisboa, 2020.

Teaching Methodologies and Assessment Criteria The content systematically addresses the necessary topics to achieve the proposed objectives.
The first objective (1), which aims to reflect on the specificity of the Philosophy of History, is directly linked to the first programmatic content, which introduces the field of study and fundamental concepts such as temporality and historicity. The analysis of the main philosophical conceptions of history (2) is supported by content covering authors such as Kant, Hegel, Marx, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Benjamin, and Foucault. The ability to interpret and present philosophical ideas about history (3) is enhanced by reading and discussing the texts included in the program, while recognizing the differences between past and present philosophies of history (4) is developed through the comparison of historicist authors, critics of historical teleologies, and postmodern theorists. Furthermore, the study of the evolution of the Philosophy of History (5) is directly addressed through content that ran
Language Portuguese. Tutorial support is available in English.
Last updated on: 2025-03-19

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