Neutral Monism and Conceptions of Historiosofical Synthesis as Methodology of History

Abstract

Examination of issues related to the methodology of history is important in connection with discussions of the theoretical component of historical knowledge. We consider that the methodology of history is an aggregate of philosophical, historical, and universal scientific conceptions, which can be presented as an integrated system with aspects and levels. There are ontological, epistemological, and axiological aspects of historical methodology. From the ontological perspective, researchers are trying to define the historical reality and the way how this reality evolves. Ontological aspect consists of doctrines of being (low-level), universal scientific theories, including theories of evolution (mid-level), historiosophical conceptions of world history (top-level), special historiosophical and general historical conceptions (additional and special methodology). The aim of this article is to find what doctrines of being and what historiosaphical conceptions of the world history may be considered as constructive methodology of history in the framework of its ontological aspect nowadays. For this purpose, we examine ontological doctrines and historiosaphical conceptions of the world history and determine what kinds of them are consistent with the key principles of evolution of great open systems, established by synergetics as a modern theory of evolution. We prove that evolutionary version of neutral monism and conceptions of historiosothical synthesis collocate with the key principles of synergetics to the gratis extend.

DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2013.v2n8p146