In Herder attempts to develop a method for grasping a Another Philosophy of History foreign way of life with his notion of an empathetic one’s way into.” Einfühlung, “feeling Because of its passion for classification and generalization, human reason alone is ill equipped for the task of grasping the rich complexity and unique spirit of a distant people. Thus, we must supplement our reason with feeling, more specifically with a sympathetic and imaginative immersion into the life-world of a people: One first have to with a nation to feel a of its and sympathize single inclinations to feel them to one word, to all in its richness… To actions, all together, find think empathize with the of a soul, which rules through everything, which entire nature molds all other inclinations and forces of the soul even the most after its model, coloring indifferent actions, do not answer with words, but enter into the age itself, follow the compass, enter into all history; feel your way into everything only then will you be on – your way to understanding the word; only then will the thought fade whether all this, taken separately or taken together, is really you! You as everything taken together? The That already shows the foolishness! quintessence of all ages and people? We must our way into everything,” into the thoughts, strivings, sensations, and experiences “feel of a people. But for Herder, empathetic feeling is not a mystical turning away from the use of reason. is a meticulous method of empirical inquiry and a demanding process of Einfühlung historical, psychological, and philological investigation. Sympathy does not replace the scientific study of historical events and material relations but, rather, helps us to grasp their significance and meaning. The achievement of sympathetic understanding requires rigorous research into historical context, the willingness to cast aside preconceptions and categories, the a priori performance of audacious acts of imagination, and, above all, the cultivation of an of ethos responsiveness to the strange, paradoxical, and unfamiliar. So, while the challenges facing historical and inter-cultural understanding are immense, Herder thinks that we can achieve a good measure of these so long as we recognize that we cannot judge another era or culture according to our own standards and are willing to proceed with appropriate modesty and care.
In Another Philosophy of History Herder attempts to develop a method for grasping a foreign way of life with his notion of Einfühlung, an empathetic “feeling one’s way into.” Because of its passion for classification and generalization, human reason alone is ill equipped for the task of grasping the rich complexity and unique spirit of a distant people. Thus, we must supplement our reason with feeling, more specifically with a sympathetic and imaginative immersion into the life-world of a people: One first have to sympathize with a nation to feel a single of its inclinations and actions, to feel them all together, to find one word, to think all in its richness… To empathize with the entire nature of a soul, which rules through everything, which molds all other inclinations and forces of the soul after its model, coloring even the most indifferent actions, do not answer with words, but enter into the age itself, follow the compass, enter into all history; feel your way into everything – only then will you be on your way to understanding the word; only then will the thought fade whether all this, taken separately or taken together, is really you! You as everything taken together? The quintessence of all ages and people? That already shows the foolishness! We must “feel our way into everything,” into the thoughts, strivings, sensations, and experiences of a people. But for Herder, empathetic feeling is not a mystical turning away from the use of reason. Einfühlung is a meticulous method of empirical inquiry and a demanding process of historical, psychological, and philological investigation. Sympathy does not replace the scientific study of historical events and material relations but, rather, helps us to grasp their significance and meaning. The achievement of sympathetic understanding requires rigorous research into historical context, the willingness to cast aside preconceptions and a priori categories, the performance of audacious acts of imagination, and, above all, the cultivation of an ethos of responsiveness to the strange, paradoxical, and unfamiliar. So, while the challenges facing historical and inter-cultural understanding are immense, Herder thinks that we can achieve a good measure of these so long as we recognize that we cannot judge another era or culture according to our own standards and are willing to proceed with appropriate modesty and care.
Culver_Herders_Romantic_Vision_WPSA2013.docx