Criticism of the philosophies of history of Hegel and Marx from their practical-political consequences

Abstract

This essay deals with the probable origin of the conception of linear, ascending development, whose most prominent representatives in the modern age were Hegel and Marx. In opposition to the circular concept of historical evolution, which was prevailing in many cultures, the theories of linear ascending development have their roots in theological elements of the Judean-Christian tradition. But when applied to practice, these doctrines exhibit authoritarian and technocratic consequences, which are not congruent with the idea of a development open to several options.