History of philosophy in a global perspective

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Rolf Elberfeld
• Subject Area: History of Philosophy
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 411880265

The humanities are currently changing fundamentally in the horizons of globalization. While historians understand history within the framework of global interdependencies more and more now, only some approaches have been evolved for a global interpretation of philosophy in its history and its contemporary situation so far. Reinhart Koselleck has shown that a new historical future is always accompanied by a new interpretation of the past. It is therefore necessary, for a global future of philosophy, to draw up a history of philosophical thought in a global perspective, in which the Eurocentric narrowness in philosophical historiography is overcome. This narrowness arose mainly in the 19th century in Europe and have largely shaped the image of philosophy in the 20th century, not only in Europe but also for the rest of the world. In addition to European philosophy, the philosophy in India, China, Korea, Japan, Africa, South America, the Islamic, the Buddhist and the Jewish world must be included in the global perspective. In cooperation with international experts, it is then necessary to reevaluate and determine the scope of philosophical historiography in an open-ended reflection process. At the end of the project, the proposal for a new, globally oriented picture of the history of philosophy in a global perspective should be presented.

• DFG Programme: Reinhart Koselleck Projects