The Problem of a Non-Representationalist Philosophy of History: The Scandal of the Missing Object

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https://doi.org/10.54937/kd.2024.15.Supp.27-40

Autor/ Author: Pavol Labuda

In: Kultúrne dejiny

ISSN: 1338-2209 

Ročník/ Volume: 15

Číslo/ Issue: Supplement

Strany/ Page Range: 27-40

Rok vydania/ Publication Year: 2024

Jazyk/ Language: Slovak

Vydavateľ/ Publisher: VERBUM – vydavateľstvo Katolíckej univerzity v Ružomberku

Abstrakt/ Abstract: Two concepts are of interest in this polemic, the notion of past events and the notion of representation. All the arguments presented here should be understood in the context of my attempt to defend the usefulness of this pair of concepts for understanding the nature of history as a discipline and for interpreting the nature of historical works. In the first part of the paper, I argue for the necessity of these notions by means of a critique of non-representationalism (represented by the claims of Eugen Zeleňák), which seeks to dispense with these notions in explaining the nature of historical works. In the second part, I sketch my own interpretation of how representation needs to be understood to be not only necessary but also useful for the work of the historian. Thus, the aim of the paper is to answer the following, interrelated trio of questions formulated by Eugen Zeleňák (2022): 1. Do we need to use the notion of representation in order to be able to do history? My answer: Yes, we do. 2. In order to understand the results of the work of historians, do we need to assume that these works represent a past reality? My answer: Yes, we do. 3. Is there a way to comprehend what historians do without resorting to the notion of representation? My answer: Even if there is, it is problematic because it fails to explain the difference between historically inspired fiction and the historian's own work.

Kľúčové slová/ Keywords: Representation, The Past (Events), History, Non-representationalism, Eugen Zeleňák.

Citácia/ How to cite:

LABUDA, Pavol, 2024. Problém non-reprezentacionalistickej filozofie histórie: škandál chýbajúceho predmetu skúmania historikov. Kultúrne dejiny. Online. Roč. 15,  č. Supplement, s. 27-40. ISSN 1338-2209. Dostupné na: https://doi.org/10.54937/kd.2024.15.Supp.27-40

Toto dielo je publikované pod/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.