History as the Story of Liberty [Paperback]

Benedetto Croce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000

European History

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Italian (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Benedetto Croce (1866-1952) is perhaps best known as the author, in 1902, of Aesthetics, a work of enduring influence.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 395 pages
• Publisher: Liberty Fund (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865972699
• ISBN-13: 978-0865972698
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,091,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Croce's Historicism: Judgment as History, March 30, 2001

By 

Peter C. Rugh (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: History as the Story of Liberty (Hardcover)

Basically, the main premise is that any judgment is historical, which has precedence in experience as a logical necessity. This is not simply historical determinism (the philodophical doctrine that history determines events, akin to historical materialism, which is further elaborated by notions of dialectical processes thought to be a consequence of those processes, as in a long chain of events so conceived in a serial succession), rather, it is a moral theory applied to the writing of history in that for any moral judgment to exist, it presupposes history.

Benedetto Croce is an excellent author, philosopher, and historian, whose main audience resides in aesthetics. What Croce presents in this book is a rational look at the art of writing history and what that art entails by way of making judgments. Many philosophers during his time (1890-1930) were discovering somewhat unrealized depths of their contemporary philosophy, which were often presented in a synthetic and awkward style of approach. Historiography is the main subject of this book. But it has many ethical insights. History is said to be the story of liberty, or the story of intellectual freedom. Unlike Hegel and Marx, whose deterministic views have instilled an awareness of social influences since the mid 1800's, as bearing on the whole gamut of man's social existence, Croce gives a more sympathetic sense of moral responsibility to the writing of history, which invites rigor and participation in writing history. Croce is known for arguing against Italian fascism, which flourished during his time. So, the book shows a great deal of thought that the title may not suggest.