Philosophy of History
Final Exam Study Sheet
Exam: Wednesday, May 13, 2:45-4:45
Short answer section. The following terms are to help you in preparing for the short
answer section of the exam. There will be 12 questions on the final, of which you are to
answer 10 (4 points each).
Concept (Collingwood)
Intepretation
History and science
Truth-to-nature
Worthington’s droplets
Mechanical objectivity
Trained judgment
Scientific self
Carolus Linnaeus
Goethe’s urpflanze
Kant and willful subject
Atlases
Collective empiricism
epistemology
scientific realism
hegemons (ItalyHollandetc.)
world system
Braudel
market dynamics
superordinate markets
kinship markets, etc.
capitalism
wage labor
morellian method
clues
Essay question. Two of the following three essay questions will be on the final. You are
to write an essay on one of the two (60 points):
1. Discuss the difference between Worthington’s two sets of droplets images.
According to Daston this reflects a big shift in the understanding of knowledge, a
shift that eventually leads to our current undestanding of objectivity. By detailing
some of the reasons for and implications of this shift to objectivity, compare some
of the arguments in the book Objectivity to any two of the other arguments
discussed in this class.
2. What is the difference between the scientific self and the artistic (romantic) self?
What is the significance of Kant’s philosophy in the emergence of this
distinction? How in turn does this distinction affect the task of historians?
Elaborate. In the context of this discussion bring in the work of Carlos Ginzburg
to explain the issues involved.
3. For both Wallerstein and Collins historians need to focus more on economic
processes in order to understand historical events. For Wallerstein this entails
understanding the world system that is capitalism and for Collins this involves
understanding critical historical changes in terms of crises that inevitably hit
market systems. In a comparing and contrasting Wallerstein and Collins lay out
their main arguments.