• Dr Gowri Naidu H

Philosophy is a system of thought denoting critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge. Philosophy means love of wisdom. It is a systematic thought to explain such phenomena as are not subject to direct observation and scientific study. Philosophy is an attempt to know the unknown through extra-scientific methods. In the 18th century, Voltaire, a great French philosopher used the term philosophy of history. He was the father of philosophy of history and he has expressed this view in his Idea of History. To Voltaire ‘philosophy of history’ is a critical or scientific history in which the historian thought for himself, instead of repeating the stories contained in earlier works. Hegel meant by philosophy of history as universal history. Positivists like August Compte used the term philosophy of history to indicate the discovery of general laws governing the course of events. R.G.Collingwood thought that philosophy of history is concerned neither with the past by itself nor with the historian’s thought by itself, but with the two things in their mutual relations. C.M.Trevelyan said, there is no philosophy of history, philosophy must be brought to history, it cannot be extracted from it. Herbert Butterfield imagined history as a force moving forward on its own account. Philosophy of history is basically concerned with two different but related branches of philosophical inquiry. Critical philosophy of history and speculative philosophy of history. Critical philosophy of history is analytical and synoptic. Speculative philosophy is formal and material. Critical philosophy deals with the philosophical analysis of historiography and inquiries into logical, conceptual and epistemological characterization of what historians do. Speculative philosophy attempts to discover some meaning or significance in concepts which transcend the intelligibility achieved by ordinary historical works.

PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY

"PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.1, Issue 6, page no.1568-1572, November-2014, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1701637.pdf

"PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.1, Issue 6, page no. pp1568-1572, November-2014, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1701637.pdf