The Principles of the Analysis of the History of Philosophy in the Interpretation of “Ideologists’” School (Degerando)

Abstract

The article analyzes the main ideas characteristic of the concept of the history of philosophy put
forward by J.M. Degerando. Examined are his periodization and classification of philosophical
theories, and his ideas about the prospects of the development of metaphysics. Degerando
completely subordinated the history of philosophy to epistemological principle, which, in opinion
of “ideologists”, must be the basis of metaphysics. It is easy to feel the spirit of the Enlightenment in
the works of Degerando: it is expressed in the criticism of prejudices, in the ways of argumentation,
in the appeal to the selfless lovers of truth, typical of the “Encyclopedia”, and in the emphasis of
the moral aspects of cognition. It seems that from today’s point of view Degerando’s project was
not exceptionally successful. It rather failed and did not lead to the conclusion of peace between
philosophers. At the same time there is no doubt the the author of “The Comparative History of the
Systems” stimulated some tendencies in the development of European philosophy. In particular, he
outlined the program of future eclectic spiritualism. His thesis that the nature of human intellect
can be grasped through investigations into the history of philosophy was developed in the works
of philosophical comparative studies. Comparison of the process of fact collection in the history of
philosophy to the work of a naturalist unites Degerando’s conception with positivism