Abstract

This article reflects on the relationship between historical writing and enquiry and philosophy, and more particularly the manner in which the pursuit of a particular natural philosophy can influence historical narratives. The article begins with a comparison of Roman and Greek approaches to history, employing a distinction between narrative and logic. It goes on to consider the impact of Christianity, the relationship between enlightenment narratives and philosophical developments regarding the nature of causation, and the Hegel/marx critique of the kinds of empiricism associated with Hume. The article ends by considering the counterfactual historical analysis and the proper relationship between history and philosophy for modern historians. ☆ This is the second article that we are publishing from the papers of Professor Ralph B. Smith (1939–2000), the celebrated historian of South East Asia. Ralph Smith was Professor of the International History of South East Asia at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. At his death he left a draft manuscript concerned with the writing of history, and this is one of the draft chapters.