The question of forming the future in Reinhardt Koselleck’s reflections on history

Abstract

The paper addresses the problem of determinism in the philosophy of history. It explores to what extent views of history related to specific models of the philosophy of history implied the possibility of forming the future or its determinism. One of the key problems in Reinhard Koselleck’s theory of history and practice of intellectual history is the dual role of historical studies in general and of historical-political concepts in particular. In a simplified sense, this duality means a changing of roles between being an indicator and an actor. In other words, it signifies the problem of how concepts or views of history used for representing the historical-political reality of a given age have actually shaped that history themselves.