Debates on the Existence of Historical Laws

Does Historicism lead to totalitarianism? Were Popper, Hayek and Berlin correct in the scathing condemnation of historicism? This is the central question which the thesis poses. It undertakes a rigorous analysis of the Popper-Hayek-Berlin argument and then engages in a work of intellectual history. Three major historicist philosophers are discussed: Condorcet, the enlightenment philosopher, Marx, the socialist, and finally Spengler, the despairing conservative. This work comes out of an M.A. thesis submitted under the supervision of professor Janos Kis.