Aspects of current history of 19th century philosophy of science

Michael Heidelberger

pp. 67-74

in: Friedrich Stadler (ed), The present situation in the philosophy of science, Berlin, Springer, 2010

Abstract

The attitude of philosophy towards its own history and historiography has been subject to change over the ages. Periods of deep interest in the history of philosophy and periods where this interest fades into the background alternate in the course of time. One reason for this variation might be a natural life-cycle in the succession of generations: the young must be iconoclasts and destroy their heritage to a certain extent in order to develop a new and original one. When they grow old, however, they sooner or later reach the point where they start wondering whether their promises have been kept and whether their own achievements really fulfil what they intended at the start – and a new interest in the recent past sets in again.