The Shape of the Past: A Philosophical Approach to History (OPUS) - Softcover

the many specific issues explored make this a welcome addition to the literature on philosophical history, It is written with exceptional clarity and, arising as it does from teaching courses, is of a level accessible to undergraduates./Leon Pompa/The Philosophical Quaterly, 1999.

Graham's programmatic survey of the field is conducted with sensitivity and finesse and with an openness of approach that encompasses the ideas of an exceptionally wide range of thinkers ... the variety of shrewd and suggestive insights encountered in the course of his inquiry remains, and make it well worth following. (Times Literary Supplement)

Can human history as a whole be interpreted in any meaningful way? Has there been real progress between stone age and space age? Does history repeat itself? Is there evidence of divine providence? Questions such as these have fascinated thinkers, and some of the greatest philosophers, notably Kant and Hegel, have turned their minds to philosophical history. As a branch of philosophy, however, it has received little attention in the analytical tradition. This pioneering work aims to bring the methods of analytical philosophy to the critical examination of some of these questions. In addition to the thought of Hegel and Kant, the discussion ranges over the writings of Augustine, Machiavelli, and Alasdair MacIntyre, providing a readable introduction to the philosophy of history.