Abstract

The central idea of this paper is that our contemporary historical awareness which is increasingly turning towards the future is accessible to philosophical reflection. This raises the question whether we need a new Philosophy of History which refers less to the past, but rather aims primarily at present and future problems. If thereby a moral responsibility for future generations is addressed, Philosophy of History then goes hand in hand with Future Ethics. By means of this programme I expressly follow the Philosophy of History since the European Enlightenment. This entails an ethical perspective since progress in history is not simply predicted, but is more or less explicitly declared as desirable tendency