Abstract
Temple’s interpretation of history begins with an examination of the historical process itself, of the task which confronts the historian in his attempt to understand this process, and of the human forces which operate within history. The historical order, however, can only be understood in terms of its relation to the eternal order; hence, the meaning of eternity and the mutual effect of eternity and time on each other must be explored. A final question is posed and a tentative answer suggested regarding the possibility of individual personality surviving both death and the end of history.
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References
See Chapter 7.
Temple, Nature, Man and God, p. 205. The influence of Josiah Royce is evident here; cf. The World and the Individual, II, 145: “In our own experience of a time-span of consciousness we have the analogy of eternal consciousness when expanded indefinitely.”
See Chapter 11.
Temple, Nature, Man and God, p. 210.
Ibid., n. 1.
See ibid., p. 209.
See ibid., pp. 428–429.
Ibid., p. 428.
Ibid. For a similar interpretation on this point see W. H. Walsh, An Introduction to Philosophy of History (London: Hutchinson’s University Library, 1951), pp. 16–17.
Temple, Christus Veritas, p. 76.
See ibid., pp. 79–81.
See ibid., pp. 78–79.
Ibid., p. 80.
Ibid.
Ibid., p. 81.
Temple, Personal Religion..., p. 26.
Temple, Christus Veritas, p. 88.
Ibid. Toynbee seems to agree at this point; cf. Arnold J. Toynbee, Civilization on Trial (New York: Oxford University Press, 1948), pp. 260–263.
Also a similar view is presented by John Baillie, The Belief in Progress (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1951), pp. 211–220, 227–235. However, both Toynbee and Baillie conceive of history as revealing a greater unfolding of grace, at least in the sense of general influence and wider opportunity.
Christus Veritas, pp. 89–90.
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© 1974 Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, Netherlands
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Padgett, J.F. (1974). The Historical Process. In: The Christian Philosophy of William Temple. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2042-8_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2042-8_14
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