Fundamental aspects of historical science: from Ranke to Marx

Abstract

For Leopold von Ranke (1986) the spirit in history was considered dynamic, searching, incredulous before all dogma. Approaching his final goal implied having previously made a classification and understanding of past events, in addition to having the possibility of observing this spirit through and to the extent that the past was considered an object of study (Ranke: 1986, 509). Only in this way it was possible to analyze the different successions of societies, that is: the history of Ranke (1986) must have been a science, a human science of men, because apparently it meant having an object of study, which was not other than the past of humans and therefore undertaking reflection on it was an urgent task. This position in front of the reality adopted by the historian spirit was the way in which man had the virtue, intelligence, and human wisdom (Ranke: 1986, 523) to understand that to the different societies in different spaces and times throughout the world. Human history had to have a marked destiny, which could only be developed through the actions of men.