ABSTRACT
the writing of history is simply a logical judgment of the only true kind; it is the bringing of the individual under the universal, the intuition under the category. It therefore excludes the intrusion of judgments of values’ in the proper Herbartian sense, according to which they are extra logical appendages (Zusatz) turning out an analysis to be nothing but expressions of emotion with practical motives. This is an essential point of philosophy which must never be forgotten. 1 This maxim of historical writing is implied in the common saying that history should be objective, not subjective, though this leaves it undetermined, or at least unexpressed, whether the subjectivity spoken of is that of passion and propaganda or that of the intellect which rules and criticises passion. The best confirmation of the definition of history as the union of universal and individual is by a comparison of history with poetry. Poetry consists not in a logical judgment, but in what used to be called a judicium sensuum, that is, a logic of the imagination, or in one word, imagination itself. The poet also, so far as he is conscious of his imaginative act, resists the temptation to the propagandist expression of feelings personal to himself. Even poets of great genius sometimes allow their works to be coloured, or rather adulterated, by such practical aims; but then their works are poetry only in the parts unaffected by such adulteration; and, as critics, while recognising their genius, we accuse them here or there of a lapse in style. Similarly, 177those readers who cannot stick to the poetry, but take upon themselves to admire or detest, to praise or blame the things and persons of the poet’s imagination, show bad taste, since they either do not feel the poetry or do not mind its adulteration. In historical works also we sometimes find this admixture which has to be mentally rejected, leaving the historical element pure. As I write this, there comes to my mind a life of Benedict Spinoza, written by some contemporary Lutheran parson, in which the symptoms of detestation (‘abominable’, ‘wretched’, poisonous’, ‘devilish’, etc.) are quite becoming to a pious minister, though the historical narrative is sufficiently objective to give internal evidence of Spinoza’s lofty mind, sincere spirit and ascetically saintly life.
