Simmel and Extra-Theoretical Interests in History

TODAY IN PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY: Simmel and Extra-Theoretical Interests in History Friday 01 March 2024 is the 166th anniversary of the birth of Georg Simmel (01 March 1858 – 26 September 1918), who was born in Berlin on this date in 1858. Simmel made a distinction between theoretical history and speculative history, and then undercut his distinction in favor of history and its metaphysics being integral to each other, but he also examined the difference between various extra-theoretical interests in history, which include axiological (aesthetical and ethical) interests and teleological interests. Simmel argues that these extra-theoretical interests can be treated in isolation from each other, which overturns a conception of the coincidence of value and purpose that has been around since Aristotle. Quora: Discord: Links: Newsletter: #philosophy #history #philosophyofhistory #Simmel #sociology #means-ends #teleology #axiology