Wilhelm Windelband and the problem of relativism
British Journal for the History of Philosophy 25 (1):84-107 (2017)
Abstract
This paper analyzes the shifts in Wilhelm Windelband’s ‘critical philosophy of values’ as it developed hand in hand with his understanding of relativism. The paper has two goals. On the one hand, by analyzing the role that relativism played in his philosophical project, it seeks to contribute to a better understanding of Windelband's intellectual development in the context of historicism and Neo-Kantianism. On the other hand, by highlighting Windelband’s contribution to the understanding of relativism, it sheds light on an important episode in the history of that problem. The paper distinguishes between three phases in Windelband’s thinking and shows that his views about relativism changed in close connection with his conception of history. The early Windelband thought that historicism was compatible with absolute validity because he was firmly convinced of historical progress. The mature Windelband rejected progress as a means for justifying validity and put the problem of relativism into sharp relief. In response to the failure of his mature philosophy to fend off relativism, the later Windelband strengthened the role of history again. The paper concludes that Windelband’s significance lies not in his arguments against relativism, but rather in having furthered philosophical understanding of the problems at stake.Author's Profile
DOI
10.1080/09608788.2016.1228602
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Citations of this work
Neo-Kantianism as hermeneutics? Heinrich Rickert on psychology, historical method, and understanding.Katherina Kinzel - 2020 - British Journal for the History of Philosophy 29 (4):614-632.
Prolegómenos a los “Prolegómenos” (Revisando la participación neokantiana en el Psychologismusstreit).Mario Ariel González Porta - 2021 - Kant E-Prints 16 (2):164-184.
References found in this work
The Genesis of Neo-Kantianism, 1796-1880.Frederick C. Beiser - 2014 - Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Neo-Kantianism and the roots of anti-psychologism.R. Lanier Anderson - 2005 - British Journal for the History of Philosophy 13 (2):287-323.