“务实的历史写作”与18世纪下半叶的德国史学理论--以伽特勒、施洛策尔的理论论述为中心

The“Pragmatisch”History and the German Historical Theories in the Second Half of the Eighteenth Century:Centering on the Theoretical Discussions of Johann Christoph Gatterer and August Ludwig Schlözer

近代西方史学诞生以前,历史研究与历史写作分立,历史被视作神学和法学的预备知识。18世纪下半叶,在以伽特勒和施洛策尔为代表的哥廷根史学家的推动下,“务实的历史写作”成为德国启蒙史学的标志性概念,历史发展过程中的因果关联被要求以系统的方式加以呈现。伽特勒和施洛策尔围绕“务实”与“系统”和“科学”这三个概念进行了史学理论层面的反思,并将普遍史—世界史的编纂作为“务实的历史写作”的实践形式。史学家被要求在经验性的史料工作的基础上,运用哲学的头脑,选择对人类文明发展具有普遍意义的时期和对象,呈现其中的系统性和关联性,让史学获得科学的性质。伽特勒在历史表现层面仍然保留了传统修辞史学的痕迹,施洛策尔则强调史学家所具有的理性能力在历史写作中发挥的主导作用。进入19世纪,启蒙史学及其理论受到德国历史主义史学家的批判,“务实”一词逐渐成为前现代史学的标签。

Before the birth of moder historiography in the West,historical research and historical writings were understood as separate categories.during which history served as a kind of propaedeutics for theology and jurisprudence.The“pragmatische Geschichtsschreibung”(pragmatical historical-writing)became the iconic concept in the German Aufklarungshistorie(German Enlightenment historiography),which was largely promotcd by lcading historians of thc Gottingcn School of History such as Johann Christoph Gatterer(1727-1799)and August Ludwig Schlizer(1735-1809)in the second half of the eighteenth century.Philosophically minded,“pragmatisch”historians were supposed to focus on the causal relations in the process of historical development and to deliver the results in a systematic way.This concept“pragmatisch”was closely associated with“systematisch”(systematic)and“wissenschaftlich”(scientific)as well.To develop these three concepts,Gatterer and Schlizer conducted a reflection on the theoretical level of historiography,and regarded the compilation of universal history and world history as the practice o“pragmatisch”historical writings.Based on the empirical works on historical sources,historians were asked to exercise philosophical thinking to select periods and objects that had universal values for the development of human civilization.In doing so,they could shed light on their systematic and interconnected nature and instill historical studies with scientific nature.Gatterer still remained traces of traditional rhetorical historiography at the level of historical performance,while Schlizer emphasized the leading role played by the rational ability of the subjectivity of historians in historical writing.With the transformation of the German historiography,however,German historicist historians criticized Aufklarungshistorie and its theory in the nineteenth century,and the word“pragmatisch”became the label of pre-moderm historiography.