Benedetto Croce: History, Philosophy, and the Spirit
History and Philosophy in Benedetto Croce
Benedetto Croce, a prominent Italian historian and one of the most influential figures in the field, introduced a distinct approach to history. His practice and convictions diverged from official historicism. This text synthesizes his thinking in relation to history and philosophy. He engaged with Marxism and Hegelian idealism, offering critiques based on the idea that reality is a spirit that continually determines and performs. The spirit, in Croce’s view, is a force that encourages reality and continually auto-organizes history, derived from a rational process. Influenced by Hegel and Fichte, Croce adopted the rational and dialectical aspects of their philosophies. Knowledge, in this sense, is produced through processes of mediation between the particular and the universal, the concrete and the abstract. From these premises, he created his own system, which he called the philosophy of spirit.
Croce was an idealist, denying reality to pure concepts, aligning with the classical philosophy of Plato and the categories of Kant. A fundamental idea in Croce’s work is that all of reality can be reduced to logical concepts. This is reflected in much of his work, such as his text on logic, also called dialectics.
Theory and History of Historiography
One of Croce’s essential works is his theory and history of historiography, in which he argued that history should build on current issues. He introduced the idea that there are as many histories as points of view, a direct challenge to historicism and objectivism. Another essential idea is the contemporaneity from which history is written.
Croce’s Broad Interests
Croce was a man of diverse interests across various theoretical fields, particularly highlighted by Gramsci.
Philosophical Views and the State
Croce’s philosophical views were closely tied to history. He emphasized individual will and freedom, while downplaying economics. He possessed a strong sense of reality and the urges regulating human life. He criticized historical materialists’ views of the state, similar to Hegel, arguing that the state had no inherent value or moral philosophical basis, but was merely an aggregate of individuals organized under political rules.
Historicism and Contemporary Knowledge
In general, Croce’s theories were historicist, introducing the idea that history is, first and foremost, contemporary knowledge. Therefore, history is not a closed book but remains alive, its study motivated by present-day interests. Historiography serves to understand the deeper rationality of the spirit’s process, denying that it is abstract knowledge but rather a knowledge of specific facts and experiences.
Critique of Absolutes
Croce criticized those who identified absolutes governing history, arguing that reality is history in its entirety, and history is in life itself, developing according to its own rhythms and reasons. This awareness, he argued, should be guarded by men, supported by their actions, so that its results are never predictable.