Continuity, Quantum, Continuum, and Dialectic: The Foundational Logics of Western Historical Thinking

Continuity, quantum, continuum, and dialectic are foundational logics of Western historical thought. The historiographical method to discern them is a critique of historical reason. Through ‘stylistics’ Mark E. Blum demonstrates how the inner temporal experience of the person shapes both judgment and historical action. Blum’s work augments the epistemology of Immanuel Kant, Wilhelm Dilthey, and Edmund Husserl. Studies of significant persons from Shakespeare through the Framers of the American Constitution, as well as contemporary adolescents, illustrate the intergenerational presence of these historical logics. Courses in historical method, phenomenological philosophy, cognitive psychology, linguistics, and literary theory can benefit from Blum’s findings and approach.