Hegels formale Geschichtsphilosophie

The present philosophy of history is divided into two distinct areas, with the formal philosophy of history standing in relatively stark contrast to the substantive or material approach: the study of historians' methods and practices stands opposed to the analysis of the historicity of human identity. Attempts undertaken up until now to overcome this discrepancy through recourse to Hegel's thinking on historicity seem to be blocked because it is still regarded to be an example of an outdated, substantial approach. Max Winter shows that not only did Hegel possess a theoretically demanding formal philosophy of history, but rather that it is moreover suited to bridge the contemporary divide in that it combines an epistemology of historical knowledge with a theory of historicity.