History of Philosophy Between the Nearest Genus and Specific Difference

The expression ‘history of philosophy’ in itself refers to the nearest genus and specific difference of what it is supposed to express. In this essay, we shall first of all define precisely and without undue simplification what the characteristic traits of historical knowledge in general are that unite history of philosophy with any other kind of historical knowledge. Only against this background is it possible to consider the specific traits of history of philosophy and to work out how the two dimensions of the nearest genus and specific difference are in tension with each other within its framework. The outcome of this tension are two ways of practising history of philoso- phy, opposing each other at least in principle: that of a ‘historical history of philosophy’ (which the authors advocate) and that of a ‘philosophical history of philosophy.’