A pragmatist philosophy of history

What is it about?

This article proposes a possible dialogue on the topic of history between Spanish Philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset and American Pragmatist Philosopher John Dewey. While Ortega wrote profusely on what he preferred to call "meditations" on history, pragmatists like John Dewey wrote little on the subject - hence why this is described as an imaginary dialogue. Nonetheless, there is a coherent philosophy of history to be found here amidst this imagined dialogue, which this article attempts to extrapolate. This article builds off Ortega's famous maxim that human beings "have no nature, only history," arguing that this is because history is our nature.

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Why is it important?

This article provides further examples of what a pragmatist philosophy of history might look like, adding, in general, a possible methodology for historical and philosophical study. History is so important; history is (at least a significant part of) our nature and we cannot exist without our history. But there are also limits to how much we can remember, how much can therefore be "officially" recorded, how much bias exists and colors interpretation, how many can serve as "recorders," to name just a few of the key ways in which our possible historical knowledge can never be complete. A pragmatist philosophy of history will, therefore, make us question and view historical study in a pragmatic, useful sense; to see history and historical record as stemming largely from the practical use it has to exist and be recorded as such, by whom and for whom, which also implies a level of meta-history and lack of authenticity in its explicit, conscious objective. Thus, this is another important methodology for historical and philosophical study, serving primarily as additional reminders of the limitations of our possible knowledge in these academic disciplines that we should keep in mind as we read, study, and try to interpret history.

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