Abstract
We do not learn from the past nor from possible analogies between the past and the present. Rather we learn from representations of the past and the insights they offer, for those insights allow us to adopt the political and moral values that we need to plan a future course of action. It follows, so Frank Ankersmit argues, that aesthetics in its sense as a general theory of representation precedes ethics. This essay is concerned with this bold and important thesis. It will do so in the context of the politics of historical representation and the fact-value and subjectivity-objectivity distinctions. The subject was also dear to the heart of Ankersmit's late American colleague Hayden White. Ankersmit is concerned with how historical representations support a future course of action. White, by contrast, was (also) concerned with how historical representations limit a future course of action since they cannot serve as a basis for utopian politics.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 410-431 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | Journal of the Philosophy of History |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 28 Nov 2018 |
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Keywords
- Aesthetics
- Frank Ankersmit
- Hayden White
- Historical representation
- Subjectivity
- The sublime
- Utopianism
- Values
Cite this
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Frank Ankersmit and Hayden White on the politics of historical representation. / Van Den Akker, Chiel.
In: Journal of the Philosophy of History, Vol. 12, No. 3, 28.11.2018, p. 410-431.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Frank Ankersmit and Hayden White on the politics of historical representation
AU - Van Den Akker, Chiel
PY - 2018/11/28
Y1 - 2018/11/28
N2 - We do not learn from the past nor from possible analogies between the past and the present. Rather we learn from representations of the past and the insights they offer, for those insights allow us to adopt the political and moral values that we need to plan a future course of action. It follows, so Frank Ankersmit argues, that aesthetics in its sense as a general theory of representation precedes ethics. This essay is concerned with this bold and important thesis. It will do so in the context of the politics of historical representation and the fact-value and subjectivity-objectivity distinctions. The subject was also dear to the heart of Ankersmit's late American colleague Hayden White. Ankersmit is concerned with how historical representations support a future course of action. White, by contrast, was (also) concerned with how historical representations limit a future course of action since they cannot serve as a basis for utopian politics.
AB - We do not learn from the past nor from possible analogies between the past and the present. Rather we learn from representations of the past and the insights they offer, for those insights allow us to adopt the political and moral values that we need to plan a future course of action. It follows, so Frank Ankersmit argues, that aesthetics in its sense as a general theory of representation precedes ethics. This essay is concerned with this bold and important thesis. It will do so in the context of the politics of historical representation and the fact-value and subjectivity-objectivity distinctions. The subject was also dear to the heart of Ankersmit's late American colleague Hayden White. Ankersmit is concerned with how historical representations support a future course of action. White, by contrast, was (also) concerned with how historical representations limit a future course of action since they cannot serve as a basis for utopian politics.
KW - Aesthetics
KW - Frank Ankersmit
KW - Hayden White
KW - Historical representation
KW - Subjectivity
KW - The sublime
KW - Utopianism
KW - Values
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85059367037&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://brill.com/view/journals/jph/12/3/jph.12.issue-3.xml
U2 - 10.1163/18722636-12341405
DO - 10.1163/18722636-12341405
M3 - Article
VL - 12
SP - 410
EP - 431
JO - Journal of the Philosophy of History
JF - Journal of the Philosophy of History
SN - 1872-261X
IS - 3
ER -