Who Shall Write the History of Philosophy?Frede and Williams on the Historiography of Philosophy
This paper carefully analyzes Michael Frede's ideal of a historicized history of philosophy and Bernard Williams's claim that the history of philosophy is first and foremost philosophical,focusing on their theoretical motivations and their practical implications,in order to reveal the theoretical dilemmas faced by these two radical positions:Fred,advocating for a realist philosophy of history,prioritizes the factual basis of the history of philosophy,neglecting the essential role of the historian's interpretive framework.Williams,influenced by Collingwood,emphasizes the importance of constructive reenactment but overlooks the potential for relativism inherent in such an approach that all reenactments enjoy the same legitimacy.