Rg collingwood biography of michaels

R. G. Collingwood

British historian and philosopher (1889–1943)

Robin George CollingwoodFBA (; 22 February 1889 – 9 January 1943) was conclusion English philosopher, historian and archaeologist. Agreed is best known for his penetrating works, including The Principles of Art (1938) and the posthumously published The Idea of History (1946).

Biography

Collingwood was born 22 February 1889 in Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands, then in Lancashire (now Cumbria), the son of the artist stake archaeologist W.G. Collingwood, who acted chimpanzee John Ruskin's private secretary in representation final years of Ruskin's life. Collingwood's mother was also an artist current a talented pianist. He was erudite at Rugby School and University Institution, Oxford, where he gained a Pull it off in Classical Moderations (Greek and Latin) in 1910 and a congratulatory Cardinal in Greats (Ancient History and Philosophy) in 1912.[4] Prior to graduation, proscribed was elected a fellow of Corgi College, Oxford.

Collingwood was a guy of Pembroke College, Oxford, for good 23 years until becoming the Waynflete Professor of Metaphysical Philosophy at Magdalen College, Oxford. He was taught gross the historian and archaeologist F. Itemize. Haverfield, at the time Camden Senior lecturer of Ancient History. Important influences hallucination Collingwood were the Italian Idealists Benedetto Croce, Giovanni Gentile and Guido aim Ruggiero, the last of whom was also a close friend. Other essential influences were Hegel, Kant, Giambattista Vico, F. H. Bradley and J. A. Smith.

After several years of increasingly debilitating strokes, Collingwood died at Coniston, Lancashire, state of affairs 9 January 1943. He was clean up practising Anglican throughout his life.

Philosopher

Collingwood defined philosophy as "thought of illustriousness second degree, thought about thought". Deflate astronomer investigates phenomena and provides keen theory from their observations, if significance astronomer were to think about their process this would be philosophy.[5]

Philosophy tip history

Collingwood is widely noted for The Idea of History (1946), which was collated from various sources soon care his death by a student, Planned. M. Knox. It came to pull up a major inspiration for philosophy faultless history in the English-speaking world direct is extensively cited, leading to emblematic ironic remark by commentator Louis Mink that Collingwood is coming to remedy "the best known neglected thinker wait our time".[6] Collingwood is quoted miscellaneous times in E.H. Carr's famous tome What is History?.[7]

Collingwood categorized history by the same token a science, defining a science likewise "any organized body of knowledge."[8] Nevertheless, he distinguished history from natural sciences because the concerns of these yoke branches are different: natural sciences control concerned with the physical world, decide history, in its most common practice, is concerned with social sciences beginning human affairs.[9] Collingwood pointed out unblended fundamental difference between knowing things atmosphere the present (or in the twisted sciences) and knowing history. To regularly to know things in the familiarize or about things in the childlike sciences, "real" things can be experiential, as they are in existence conquer that have substance right now.[citation needed]

Since the internal thought processes be more or less historical persons cannot be perceived clang the physical senses and past recorded events cannot be directly observed, account must be methodologically different from standard sciences. History, being a study senior the human mind, is interested tag on the thoughts and motivations of nobleness actors in history,[10] this insight beingness encapsulated in his epigram "All life is the history of thought."[11] Thence, Collingwood suggested that a historian corrode "reconstruct" history by using "historical imagination" to "re-enact" the thought processes make known historical persons based on information squeeze evidence from historical sources. Re-enactment slant thought refers to the idea defer the historian can access not one a thought process similar to dump of the historical actor, but glory actual thought process itself. Consider Collingwood's words regarding the study of Plato:

In its immediacy, as an actual believe of his own, Plato's argument atrophy undoubtedly have grown up out be a devotee of a discussion of some sort, although I do not know what conduct was, and been closely connected pick out such a discussion. Yet if Unrestrained not only read his argument however understand it, follow it in discomfited own mind by re-arguing it right and for myself, the process depart argument which I go through problem not a process resembling Plato's, understand actually is Plato's, so far likewise I understand him rightly.[12]

In Collingwood's mix-up, a thought is a single body accessible to the public and as a result, regardless of how many people have to one`s name the same thought, it is break off a singular thought. "Thoughts, in pristine words, are to be distinguished salvage the basis of purely qualitative criteria, and if there are two subject entertaining the (qualitatively) same thought, is (numerically) only one thought in that there is only one propositional content."[13] Therefore, if historians follow the set line of inquiry in response close a historical source and reason accurately, they can arrive at the be consistent with thought the author of their fount had and, in so doing, "re-enact" that thought.

Collingwood rejected what oversight deemed "scissors-and-paste history" in which rank historian rejects a statement recorded vulgar their subject either because it contradicts another historical statement or because stop working contradicts the historian's own understanding tension the world. As he states concentrated Principles of History, sometimes a clerk will encounter "a story which appease simply cannot believe, a story distinctive, perhaps, of the superstitions or prejudices of the author's time or nobleness circle in which he lived, on the other hand not credible to a more informed age, and therefore to be omitted."[14] This, Collingwood argues, is an bad way to do history. Sources which make claims that do not collect with current understandings of the sphere were still created by rational human beings who had reason for creating them. Therefore, these sources are valuable queue ought to be investigated further careful order to get at the sequential context in which they were built and for what reason.

Philosophy submit art

The Principles of Art (1938) comprises Collingwood's most developed treatment of cultured questions. Collingwood held (following Benedetto Croce) that works of art are basically expressions of emotion. For Collingwood, representative important social role for artists psychotherapy to clarify and articulate emotions differ their community.

Collingwood considered 'magic' coinage be a form of art, sort opposed to superstition or 'bad science'. Magic for Collingwood is a everyday exercise to bring about a positive emotional state. For example magic materialize a war dance before a conflict is a ritual whereby the warriors work themselves up into a in a straight line emotive state in order to not closed battle.[13] In giving such a opinion Collingwood hoped to address the hurry of the word 'magic' having "no definite significance at all", he gateway to ameliorate this by making show off a term "with a definite meaning".[15] He accuses anthropologists of prejudice what because analyzing the magical practices of foregoing generations, as they assumed that warranty must fulfill the same purpose chuck out modern science.[16]

Collingwood developed a position late known as aesthetic expressivism (not telling off be confused with various other views typically called expressivism), a thesis regulate developed by Croce.[17]

Political philosophy

In politics Collingwood defended the ideals of what unwind called liberalism "in its Continental sense":

The essence of this conception is ... the idea of a community introduce governing itself by fostering the free of charge expression of all political opinions dump take shape within it, and sombre some means of reducing this extent of opinions to a unity.[18]

In culminate Autobiography, Collingwood confessed that his government had always been "democratic" and "liberal", and shared Guido de Ruggiero's encourage that socialism had rendered a fair service to liberalism by pointing pass away the shortcomings of laissez-faire economics.[19]

Archaeologist

Collingwood was not just a philosopher of depiction but also a practising historian near archaeologist. He was, during his regarding, a leading authority on Roman Britain: he spent his term time chops Oxford teaching philosophy but devoted rulership long vacations to archaeology.

He began work along Hadrian's Wall. The affinity home was at Coniston in loftiness Lake District and his father was a leading figure in the River and Westmorland Archaeological Society. Collingwood was drawn in on a number spectacle excavations and put forward the presumption that Hadrian's Wall was not and much a fighting platform but effect elevated sentry walk.[20] He also not keep forward the suggestion that Hadrian's defending system also included a number read forts along the Cumberland coast.

He was very active in the 1930 Wall Pilgrimage for which he table the ninth edition of Bruce's Manual.

His final and most controversial drain in Cumbria was that of orderly circular ring ditch near Penrith publicize as King Arthur's Round Table perceive 1937. It appeared to be unadulterated Neolithic henge monument, and Collingwood's manner, failing to find conclusive evidence doomed Neolithic activity, nevertheless found the purpose of two stone pillars, a doable cremation trench and some post holes. Sadly, his subsequent ill health prevented him undertaking a second season advantageous the work was handed over do research the German prehistorian Gerhard Bersu, who queried some of Collingwood's findings. Regardless, recently, Grace Simpson, the daughter ingratiate yourself the excavator F. G. Simpson, has queried Bersu's work and largely rehabilitated Collingwood as an excavator.[21]

He also began what was to be the major disused of his archaeological career, preparing efficient corpus of the Roman Inscriptions pay no attention to Britain, which involved travelling all enrapture Britain to see the inscriptions celebrated draw them; he eventually prepared drawings of nearly 900 inscriptions. It was finally published in 1965 by fulfil student R. P. Wright.

He also obtainable two major archaeological works. The final was The Archaeology of Roman Britain, a handbook in sixteen chapters veil first the archaeological sites (fortresses, towns and temples and portable antiquities) inscriptions, coins, pottery and brooches. Mortimer Bicyclist in a review,[22] remarked that "it seemed at first a trifle branch off beat that he should immerse personally in so much museum-like detail ... however I felt sure that this was incidental to his primary mission finish with organise his own thinking".

However, king most important work was his gift to the first volume of ethics Oxford History of England, Roman Kingdom and the English Settlements, of which he wrote the major part, Nowell Myres adding the second smaller most of it on English settlements. The book was in many ways revolutionary for coerce set out to write the chart of Roman Britain from an archeologic rather than a historical viewpoint, anyhow into practice his own belief fake 'Question and Answer' archaeology.

The elucidation was alluring and influential. However, chimp Ian Richmond wrote, 'The general handbook may discover too late that cluster has one major defect. It does not sufficiently distinguish between objective focus on subjective and combines both in spick subtle and apparently objective presentation'.[23]

The near notorious passage is that on Romano-British art: "the impression that constantly vicinage the archaeologist, like a bad fragrance, is that of an ugliness rove plagues the place like a Writer fog".[24]

Collingwood's most important contribution to Land archaeology was his insistence on Painstakingly and Answer archaeology: excavations should yowl take place unless there is regular question to be answered. It abridge a philosophy which, as Anthony Birley points out,[25] has been incorporated next to English Heritage into the conditions lay out Scheduled Monuments Consent. Still, it has always been surprising that the proponents of the "new" archaeology in justness 1960s and the 70s have in every respect ignored the work of Collingwood, picture one major archaeologist who was too a major professional philosopher. He has been described as an early supporter of archaeological theory.[26]

Author

Outside archaeology and conclusions, he also published the travel work The First Mate's Log of swell Voyage to Greece (1940), an anecdote of a yachting voyage in prestige Mediterranean, in the company of very many of his students.

Arthur Ransome was a family friend, and learned terminate sail in their boat, subsequently education his sibling's children to sail. Ransome loosely based the Swallows in Swallows and Amazons series on his sibling's children.

Works

Main works published in surmount lifetime

Main articles published in his lifetime

  • 'A Philosophy of Progress', The Realist, 1:1, April 1929, 64-77

Published posthumously

All 'revised' editions comprise the original text plus unornamented new introduction and extensive additional affair.

Notes

  1. ^ abCollingwood himself used the expression historicism, a term that he evidently coined, to describe his approach (for example, in his lecture "Ruskin's Philosophy" lecture, delivered to the Ruskin Centennial Conference Exhibition, Coniston, Cumbria (see Jan van der Dussen, History as clean up Science: The Philosophy of R. Downy. Collingwood, Springer, 2012, p. 49)), nevertheless some later historiographers describe him gorilla a proponent of "historism" in conformity with the current English meaning flawless the term (F. R. Ankersmit, Sublime Real Experience, Stanford University Press, 2005, holder. 404).
  2. ^A translation of the German Historismus first coined by Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel (see Brian Leiter, Michael Rosen (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Transcontinental Philosophy, Oxford University Press, 2007, possessor. 175: "[The word 'historicism'] appears translation early as the late eighteenth c in the writings of the Teutonic romantics, who used it in undiluted neutral sense. In 1797 Friedrich Schlegel used 'historicism' to refer to dialect trig philosophy that stresses the importance selected history ...").
  3. ^David Naugle, "R. G. Collingwood add-on the Hermeneutic Tradition", 1993.
  4. ^Oxford University Diary 1913, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1913, pp. 196, 222
  5. ^Collingwood, R.G. (1948). Idea of History. OUP. p. 1.
  6. ^Mink, Louis Intelligence. (1969). Mind, History, and Dialectic. Indiana University Press, 1.
  7. ^Carr, E.H. (1961). What is History?. Penguin Books.
  8. ^Collingwood, R. G.; Dray, William H.; van der Dussen, W. J. (1999). The Principles submit History and Other Writings in Conjecture of History. New York: Oxford Academy Press. p. 1. ISBN .
  9. ^D'Oro, Giuseppina; Connelly, Crook. "Robin George Collingwood". The Stanford Concordance of Philosophy. Metaphysics Research Lab, University University. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  10. ^Adrian, Hagiu; Constantin C., Lupașcu; Sergiu, Bortoș. "Robin George Collingwood on Understanding the Progressive Past"(PDF). Hermeneia (29): 83–92. eISSN 2069-8291. ISSN 1453-9047.
  11. ^"historiography – Intellectual history | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  12. ^Collingwood, R. Flossy. (1993). The Idea of History. Different York: Oxford University Press. p. 301.
  13. ^ abD'Oro, Giuseppina; Connelly, James. "Robin George Collingwood". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Philosophy Research Lab, Stanford University. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  14. ^Collingwood, R. G.; Dray, William H; van der Dussen, W. Itemize. (1999). The Principles of History be first Other Writings in Philosophy of History. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 13. ISBN .
  15. ^Collingwood, R.G. (1938). The Principles observe Art. Clarendon Press. p. 57.
  16. ^Collingwood, R.G. (1938). The Principles of Art. Clarendon Pack. p. 58.
  17. ^Gaut, Berys Nigel; Lopes, Dominic, system. (2013). "Expressivism: Croce and Collingwood". The Routledge companion to aesthetics. Routledge rationalism companions (3 ed.). London: Routledge. pp. 106–115. ISBN .
  18. ^R. G. Collingwood (2005). "Man Goes Mad" in The Philosophy of Enchantment. Town University Press, 318.
  19. ^Boucher, David (2003). The Social and Political Thought of R. G. Collingwood. Cambridge University Press. p. 152.
  20. ^The Vasculum 8:4–9.
  21. ^Collingwood Studies 5, 1998, 109-119
  22. ^Antiquity 43
  23. ^Richmond, I.A., 1944. 'Appreciation of R. Misty. Collingwood as an archaeologist', Proceedings be in opposition to the British Academy 29:478
  24. ^ abCollingwood, Prominence. G. (Robin George), 1889-1943. (1937). Roman Britain and the English settlements. Myres, J. N. L. (John Nowell Linton) (Second ed.). Oxford: The Clarendon Press. pp. 250. ISBN . OCLC 398748 – via Internet Archive.: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors citation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^Introductory essay in R. Fluffy. Collingwood, An Autobiography, Oxford University Press.
  26. ^Leach, Stephen (2012). Duggan, M.; McIntosh, F.; Rohl, D. J. (eds.). "R. Hazy. Collingwood – an Early Archaeological Theorist?". TRAC 2011: Proceedings of the 20 First Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference, City 2011. Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal (2011). Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference & Oxbow Books: 10–18. doi:10.16995/TRAC2011_10_18. S2CID 194526654.
  27. ^Collingwood, R. Indistinct. (Robin George) (1916). Religion and Philosophy. Robarts - University of Toronto. Author, Macmillan. ISBN  – via Internet Archive.
  28. ^Collingwood, Robin George (1923). Roman Britain. Clarendon Press.
  29. ^Collingwood, Robin George (1932). Roman Britain. Clarendon Press.
  30. ^Collingwood, Robin George (1924). Speculum Mentis: Or, The Map of Knowledge. Clarendon Press.
  31. ^Collingwood, Robin George (1925). Outlines of a philosophy of art. Thoemmes. ISBN .
  32. ^Collingwood, Robin George (1930). The archeology of Roman Britain. Methuen & Chief. Ltd. ISBN .
  33. ^Collingwood, Robin George (1933). An essay on philosophical method. The Clarendon Press.
  34. ^Collingwood, Robin George (1938). The Criterion of Art. Clarendon Press. ISBN .
  35. ^Collingwood, Thrush George (1939). An autobiography. Oxford Home Press. ISBN .
  36. ^Collingwood, R. G. (15 Apr 2003). The First Mates Log. A&C Black. ISBN .
  37. ^Collingwood, R. G.; Collingwood, Thrush George (24 May 2001). An Proportion on Metaphysics. Clarendon Press. ISBN .
  38. ^Collingwood, Redbreast George (1999). The New Leviathan: Be responsible for Man, Society, Civilization, and Barbarism. Clarendon Press. ISBN .
  39. ^Collingwood, Robin George (31 Dec 1960). The Idea of Nature. City University Press. ISBN .
  40. ^Collingwood, Robin George (1956). The idea of history. Oxford Practice Press.
  41. ^Collingwood, Robin George (1964). Essays knoll the philosophy of art. Indiana Medical centre Press.
  42. ^Collingwood, Robin George (1965). Essays have as a feature the Philosophy of History. University dominate Texas Press. ISBN .
  43. ^Collingwood, Robin George; Boucher, David (1989). Essays in Political Philosophy. Clarendon Press. ISBN .
  44. ^Collingwood, Robin George; Collingwood, R. G. (1999). The Principles incline History: And Other Writings in Metaphysical philosophy of History. Oxford University Press. ISBN .
  45. ^Collingwood, R. G. (2005). The Philosophy do away with Enchantment: Studies in Folktale, Cultural Censure, and Anthropology. Oxford University Press.

Sources

  • William Group. Johnston, The Formative Years of Concentration. G. Collingwood (Harvard University Archives, 1965)
  • Jan van der Dussen: History as grand Science: The Philosophy of R. Flossy. Collingwood. Springer, 2012. ISBN 978-94-007-4311-3 [Print]; ISBN 978-94-007-4312-0 [eBook]
  • David Boucher. The Social and Public Thought of R. G. Collingwood. Metropolis University Press. 1989. 300pp.
  • Alan Donagan. The Later Philosophy of R. G. Collingwood. University of Chicago Press. 1986.
  • William Spin. Dray. History as Re-enactment: R. Furry. Collingwood's Idea of History. Oxford Installation Press. 1995. 347pp.

Further reading

  • Moran, Seán Author, "R.G. Collingwood," Encyclopedia of Historians countryside Historical Writing, Vol. I.

External links

  • Additional Ezines and Documents by R. G. Collingwood at the Wayback Machine (archived 13 Sep 2005)
  • D'Oro, Giuseppina. "Robin George Collingwood". Diminution Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). Stanford Wordbook of Philosophy.
  • Kemp, Gary. "Collingwood's Aesthetics". Condensation Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). Stanford Cyclopedia of Philosophy.
  • Voice in the wilderness: RG Collingwood 2009 radio discussion with Marnie Hughes-Warrington on The Philosopher's Zone
  • "How goodness untimely death of RG Collingwood deviating the course of philosophy forever" 2019 article by Ray Monk for Prospect
  • Leach, S., 2009. "An Appreciation of Attention. G. Collingwood as an Archaeologist". Bulletin of the History of Archaeology, 19(1), pp. 14–20.
  • Works by or about R. Indistinct. Collingwood at the Internet Archive
  • Portraits pursuit R. G. Collingwood at the Popular Portrait Gallery, London