Introduction to "The Historical Dimension of Human Existence. Philosophical Perspectives from Phenomenology, Hermeneutics and Narrative Approaches"

The historical dimension of human existence should occupy a cen tral place in any philosophical reflection that aims to be radical and self critical. The issues connected with it invest the very identity, purposes, and possibility of philosophy, which are all constantly brought into play by the evolution of thought. By deciding on them, philosophy decides on its own meaning and destiny. After all, a philosopher meets oneself as philosopher precisely on the terrain of history. However, the historical di mension is also the closest to individual and collective experience; it per meates the lives of individuals and societies primarily, though not solely, through the pervasive role that narratives play in them. This short volume brings together essays on these two only seemingly distant sides of this very broad and jagged field.