What Does It Mean To Have A Teleological View Of Linear History

What does it really mean to have a linear or a teleological view on history? A linear view of history can be defined as believing that history has no greater meaning and life is only a cycle. We live and die with no end and history is merely about the human experience. While on the other hand, the teleological view thinks that history is given meaning by a higher power, for example, God. Teleological historians back up this idea that there is a definite end and that all history has meaning and purpose. The four historians we will be examining are Pierre Proudhon, Auguste Comte, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and Augustine. This paper will dive deeper into the context of what it means to hold these two views and how that decision plays a factor in the way life is lived. To begin with, Pierre Proudhon (1809-1865) was a historian who held a very strong view of linear history. His view was largely affected by the simple fact that he was an atheist and did not believe that any form of gods or greater power existed. Therefore, he believed that history had no purpose and that everyone will all die one day and there is nothing more to life. Proudhon continued to persist

He conveyed a teleological view and believed history had greater meaning than what could be seen with human eyes. More specifically, he believed that history was the evolution of the Weltgeist which means, “the world spirit.” Hegel sought refuge in the fact that history is moving towards a definite and definable end. He lived out his life knowing that it had greater meaning than just being a cycle. He believed in the spiritual and actually created a philosophy called Hegelianism. In Hegelianism, his goal was to reduce reality to an exceptionally more synthetic unity through the system of absolute idealism. He never shied away from the idea that there is more to this