French Literature Reviews - 2026
B. Binoche, Les trois sources des philosophies de l'histoire (1764-1798)
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
BINOCHE, Bertrand, Les trois sources des philosophies de l'histoire (1764-1798), Québec, Presses de l'Université Laval (Les collections de la République des Lettres), 2008, 268 p.
ISBN 978-2-7637-8441-0
ABSTRACT
By systematically discarding all facts, the conjectural genesis of civil society ultimately deprives itself of any solid footing; conversely, empirical history, by clinging exclusively to bare facts stripped of any rational connection, lapses into Pyrrhonism. Consequently, the split between genesis and history proves untenable. The central problem thus becomes how to infuse facts with meaning—what are commonly, yet obscurely, referred to as the "philosophies of history."
In the final third of the 18th century, the French historical tableau, the Scottish natural history of humankind, and the German theodicy of history emerged as three major attempts to resolve this problem. However, all three were shaped by specific circumstances, meaning they involved neither the same conception of meaning, nor the same facts, nor the same articulation of meaning and facts. This study undertakes a systematic and meticulous comparison of these three enterprises, whose respective solutions ultimately prove aporetic—though this does not render them sterile.
Returning to these origins not only reveals the extent to which the categories of "philosophy of history" and "historicism," as deployed today, are misleading, but also sheds light on our peculiar inability to conceptualize the future—that is, to construct a coherent (even if illusory) horizon of expectation upon which to anchor our mastery of the present.
BIOGRAPHY
Bertrand Binoche teaches the history of modern and contemporary political philosophy at the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. His research focuses primarily on the comparative history of philosophies of history. He recently published La raison sans l'Histoire (Paris, PUF, 2007) and co-authored, with Jean-Pierre Cléro, Bentham contre les droits de l'homme (Paris, PUF, 2007).
During the late eighteenth century, European thinkers grappled with the challenge of making sense of human development without falling into pure speculation or dry empiricism. This period saw the emergence of distinct intellectual traditions across Europe, each attempting to bridge the gap between abstract theories of societal origins and the messy reality of historical events. By examining the French historical tableau, the Scottish natural history of humankind, and the German theodicy of history, this study situates these diverse intellectual movements within their specific historical and philosophical contexts.
By re-examining these foundational debates, the work questions the modern usage of terms such as historicism and the philosophy of history. It suggests that the unresolved tensions of the late eighteenth century continue to influence how we view our relationship to time. In particular, analyzing these historical models sheds light on our contemporary difficulty in conceptualizing the future and constructing a coherent horizon of expectation to guide the present. Readers interested in the history of modern political philosophy and Enlightenment thought may find this comparative analysis relevant.