Free Essays on The End of the History

Fukuyama derived his argument from the writings of Kant, Hegel and a critical reading of Marx. This new phase represented the worldwide triumph of liberal democracy with the collapse of Communism. History has ended in the sense that there is no more room for large ideological battles. The present work is the first serious attempt to provide a rounded evaluation, which is sympathetic to Fukuyama's aims. It sets his thesis in the context of 'end of history' theories from Kant to Marx, acknowledges its affinities with different aspects of them, but argues that its metaphysical commitments are much more acceptable to the modern world than those of its predecessors. Like Fukuyama, its authors believe that philosophy of history can and should make a real difference to our understanding of our present social and political problems. Why the fuss? Writing at a moment when Communisim was everywhere in retreat, it was hardly surprising that Fukuyama should have proclaimed the end of the Cold War and â€Å"unabashed victory of economic and political liberalism.† Such proclamations were already legion. What commanded attention was something far more radical. Claiming to distinguish between â€Å"what is essential and what is contingent or accidental in world history,† Fukuyama wrote that â€Å"What we are witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or a passing of a particular period of postwar history, but the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankind’s ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government. â€Å"The end of history as such,† â€Å"the evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government†: these were the sorts of statements- along with Fukuyama’s professed conviction that â€Å"the ideal will govern the material world in the long run†- that rang the alarm. Some of the neg... Free Essays on The End of the History Free Essays on The End of the History Fukuyama derived his argument from the writings of Kant, Hegel and a critical reading of Marx. This new phase represented the worldwide triumph of liberal democracy with the collapse of Communism. History has ended in the sense that there is no more room for large ideological battles. The present work is the first serious attempt to provide a rounded evaluation, which is sympathetic to Fukuyama's aims. It sets his thesis in the context of 'end of history' theories from Kant to Marx, acknowledges its affinities with different aspects of them, but argues that its metaphysical commitments are much more acceptable to the modern world than those of its predecessors. Like Fukuyama, its authors believe that philosophy of history can and should make a real difference to our understanding of our present social and political problems. Why the fuss? Writing at a moment when Communisim was everywhere in retreat, it was hardly surprising that Fukuyama should have proclaimed the end of the Cold War and â€Å"unabashed victory of economic and political liberalism.† Such proclamations were already legion. What commanded attention was something far more radical. Claiming to distinguish between â€Å"what is essential and what is contingent or accidental in world history,† Fukuyama wrote that â€Å"What we are witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or a passing of a particular period of postwar history, but the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankind’s ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government. â€Å"The end of history as such,† â€Å"the evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government†: these were the sorts of statements- along with Fukuyama’s professed conviction that â€Å"the ideal will govern the material world in the long run†- that rang the alarm. Some of the neg...