![]() ![]() They are great men, because they willed and accomplished something great not a mere fancy, a mere intention, but that which met the case and fell in with the needs of the age. They die early like Alexander they are murdered, like Caesar transported to St. It was theirs to know this nascent principle the necessary, directly sequent step in progress, which their world was to take to make this their aim, and to expend their energy in promoting it. ![]() But they could not stop the evolution of thought that Socrates had begun, which would lead to the concept of individual conscience. In Hegel's view, Socrates broke down social harmony by questioning the meaning of concepts like "justice" and "virtue".Įventually, the Athenians condemned Socrates to death. Søren Kierkegaard, in his early essay The Concept of Irony, generally agrees with Hegel's views, such as his characterization of Socrates as a world-historical figure who acted as a destructive force on Greek received views of morality. Caesar failed in his bid to make himself an emperor, and was assassinated, but the empire came into existence soon afterward, and Caesar's name has become synonymous with "emperor" in forms such as " kaiser" or " czar". Hegel viewed Julius Caesar as a world historical figure, who appeared at a stage when Rome had grown to the point it could no longer continue as a republican city state but had to become an empire. Eventually a synthesis would resolve the conflict. Hegel proposed that a world-historical figure essentially posed a challenge, or thesis, and this would generate an antithesis, or opposing force. The German philosopher Hegel defined the concept of the world-historical figure, who embodied the ruthless advance of Immanuel Kant's World Spirit, often overthrowing outdated structures and ideas. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel introduced the concept of the "world-historical figure". Herbert Spencer (1820–1903), an early believer in evolution and in the universality of natural law, felt that historical individuals were of little importance. Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) saw the study of figures such as Muhammad, William Shakespeare and Oliver Cromwell as key to understanding history. Hegel (1770–1831) considered that "world-historical figures" played a pivotal role in human progress, but felt that they were bound to emerge when change was needed. The significance of historical figures has long been the subject of debate by philosophers. More recently there has been a tendency once again for authors to freely depart from the "facts" when they conflict with their creative goals. In earlier traditions, before the rise of a critical historical tradition, authors took less care to be as accurate when describing what they knew of historical figures and their actions, interpolating imaginary elements intended to serve a moral purpose to events. Historical figures are often represented in fiction, where fact and fancy are combined. Since classical times, students have been asked to put themselves in the place of a historical figure as a way of bringing history to life. In education, presenting information as if it were being told by a historical figure may give it greater impact. With historical figures who were also religious figures attempts to separate fact from belief may be controversial. Without a body of personal documents, the more subtle aspects of personality of a historical figure can only be deduced. Sources are often incomplete and may be inaccurate, particularly those from early periods of history. However, the legends that can grow up around historical figures may be hard to distinguish from fact. The concept is generally used in the sense that the person really existed in the past, as opposed to being legendary. Some think they play a crucial role, while others say they have little impact on the broad currents of thought and social change. The significance of such figures in human progress has been debated. A statue of Julius Caesar, a well-recognizable Roman statesman and historical figure, at Via dei Fori Imperiali, Rome, ItalyĪ historical figure is a significant person in history. ![]()
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