What if counterfactualism and the problem of history

Ramin Skibba. Modern biomedicine sees the body as a closed mechanistic system. But illness shows us to be permeable, ecological beings. Nitin K Ahuja. They are spreading like branching plants across the globe. Should we rein cities in or embrace their biomorphic potential? Josh Berson. Thinkers and theories. Some see Plato as a pure rationalist, others as a fantastical mythmaker. His deft use of stories tells a more complex tale. Tae-Yeoun Keum.

Stories and literature. Alison Garden. All the stories we have are flawed. What if? History of ideas War and peace History. Aeon is not-for-profit and free for everyone Make a donation.

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Write a review Rate this item: 1 2 3 4 5. Preview this item Preview this item. What if? Subjects Historiographie. Histoire universelle. Philosophie de l'histoire. More like this Similar Items. Indeed counterfactualism has been strongly dismissed by prominent historians of the Left, including E. Th "What if? They have sought to portray counterfactualism as a plaything of the Right. Jeremy Black demonstrates the place of contingency and human agency in history.

The counterfactual approach to history, argues Professor Black, is so hated by some historians precisely because it presents a devastating critique to determinist - and especially Marxist - accounts of past, present and future. Get A Copy. Hardcover , pages. More Details Original Title. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about What If? Lists with This Book.

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list ». Community Reviews. Showing Certainly, today, it is hard to be as optimistic as Seignobos was at the beginning of the 20th century.

Wars and revolutions of varying scale and intensity are all around us. Furthermore, we are confronted with an all-enveloping threat: the consequences of the Great Acceleration in industrial development, which, since the s, has seen production increase steeply along with population.

Consequently, there has been increasingly serious impact on maritime, terrestrial and atmospheric environments, threatening mass biological extinction. Man-made climate change, far from being intimated by an ignorant and possibly mendacious assistant in a laboratory, has received public recognition from the vast majority of experts.

If we ignore this consensus, we are in danger of repeating the error of Seignobos in putting forward counterfactuals as factuals.