João Ohara

ON HISTORICAL (ANTI‐)REALISM The problem of historical realism has gained some new momentum recently, with a fresh challenge to what is taken to be an anti-realist hegemony in the theory and philosophy of history. Unfortunately,...

#ArticleSnapshot📸: João Ohara's "On Historical (Anti-)Realism" "clarifies the conceptual space" surrounding historical realism by distinguishing "a metaphysical problem" (historical realism proper) and "an epistemological problem" (historical skepticism)

doi.org/10.1111/hith...

History and Theory: Vol 65, No 1 Click on the title to browse this issue

Our March 2026 issue is out now! 🎉

This issue contains articles by Antoon De Baets, Alf Lüdtke & Alexandra Oeser, João Ohara, and F. R. Ankersmit; a review article by Martin Jay; and review essays by Serge Grigoriev and David A. Hollinger.

Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14682303...

Ah it's universally awful. Good luck!

A screenshot of the paper's page on the journal website. Paper title: On Historical (Anti-)Realism. Author: João Ohara. Abstract: The problem of historical realism has gained some new momentum recently, with a fresh challenge to what is taken to be an anti-realist hegemony in the theory and philosophy of history. Unfortunately, this has also provided the opportunity for the reheating of old polemics and lazy scholarship that characterized the 1990s reaction to “postmodernism.” Ill-defined questions distract us from more important issues. Here, I offer a map that aims to clarify the conceptual space. I distinguish between a metaphysical problem, which is the problem of historical realism proper, and an epistemological problem, which is sometimes treated under the same phrase but is more adequately called the problem of historical skepticism. I then consider what the targets of each of these discussions are and map the conceptual space of possibilities in them.

My paper on historical (anti-)realism is now available in EarlyView on @histandtheojrnl.bsky.social's website. It's my attempt at mapping the conceptual space in what I see as a deeply confused landscape, rife for unproductive polemics.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Elements in Historical Theory and Practice : The History of Contingency and Future-Oriented Thought The History of Contingency and Future-Oriented Thought The future is contingent. It can unfold differently, hinging on chance or choice within the present. This…

Coming Feb. 20 in @universitypress.cambridge.org Elements in Historical Theory and Practice series, Thomas Moynihan's "The History of Contingency and Future-Oriented Thought". Video abstract here: vimeo.com/1148027422?f...

#philhist

#philsky #philsci

A screenshot of the paper's page on the journal website. Paper title: On Historical (Anti-)Realism. Author: João Ohara. Abstract: The problem of historical realism has gained some new momentum recently, with a fresh challenge to what is taken to be an anti-realist hegemony in the theory and philosophy of history. Unfortunately, this has also provided the opportunity for the reheating of old polemics and lazy scholarship that characterized the 1990s reaction to “postmodernism.” Ill-defined questions distract us from more important issues. Here, I offer a map that aims to clarify the conceptual space. I distinguish between a metaphysical problem, which is the problem of historical realism proper, and an epistemological problem, which is sometimes treated under the same phrase but is more adequately called the problem of historical skepticism. I then consider what the targets of each of these discussions are and map the conceptual space of possibilities in them.

My paper on historical (anti-)realism is now available in EarlyView on @histandtheojrnl.bsky.social's website. It's my attempt at mapping the conceptual space in what I see as a deeply confused landscape, rife for unproductive polemics.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

🛎️ The second volume of the BiUP Bielefeld Theory Talks series is now out.
It features Lucian Hölscher’s reflections on virtual history, followed by commentaries by Britta Hochkirchen, Chris Lorenz, and @rutakazlauskaite.bsky.social 👇
bielefelduniversitypress.de/publikatione...

The difference between framed and framing enquiries by @celinehenne.bsky.social

Our December 2025 "Philology Now" theme issue, edited by Valeria López Fadul and Courtney Weiss Smith, is out!

Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14682303...

Congratulations!

I used this app a lot less this year - new job, still acclimatizing -, but I feel like almost every time I opened it up there was some cool new article by a colleague that I immediately downloaded and read with great pleasure. That's a cool perk of our times, even if it comes with a lot of downsides

Final update: our Special Issue on the past and present of peer review in the humanities has now been published in full as Minerva's December issue! Take a look and let us know what you think!

link.springer.com/journal/1102...

Poster for the talk by Rebecca Sear, entitled "21st century eugenics, scientific racism and the role of academia in promoting political ideology". It will take place on Monday, 8 December 2025 at 4 pm (CET) via Zoom.

Next week, we welcome @rebeccasear.bsky.social in our Lecture Series. Rebecca will talk about 21st century eugenics, scientific racism and the role of academia in promoting political ideology. Just register here to participate 👉 rotorub.wordpress.com/roto-lecture...
#PhilSci #HPBio

I go through some version of this every time I give students Danto's Narrative Sentences. I can understand why they're so puzzled by the idea.

The European Network for the Philosophy of the Social Sciences (ENPOSS) invites submissions to its 15th Conference at the University of Helsinki, 26-28 August 2026. More info here: enposs.eu

I'm so happy that our panel on Testimony, Trust, and Epistemic Dependence in Historiography has been accepted for the 2026 INTH Conference in Tallinn! I'll be joined by Jonas Ahlskog and Verónica Tozzi Thompson.

INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES FILOSÓFICAS - UNAM WORKSHOPnine METHODOLOGIES for the use of history IN PHILOSOPHY NOVEMBER 13-14, 2025 KIRSTEN WALSH CUNIVERSITY OF EXETER) JOUNI-MATTI KUUKKANEN CUNIVERSITY OF OULU) ANNA GADIGNANI MARIA CHIARA PARISI EVELYN ERICKSON ANDRÉS VÁZQUEZ-QUIJANO JANIK ROJAS ZAINAB SABRA BOBBY VOS NATALIA ZORRILLA DUBIAN CAÑAS MARÍA MARTÍNEZ-ORDAZ +info: methodologiesfortheuseofhistor@gmail.com

November 14, 2025 • [15:30-17:00 CET || 08:30-10:00 MX] Keynote Talk: "Towards a methodologist integration of history and philosophy of science. Marriage counseling from a pragmatist perspective." Jouni-Matti Kuukkanen (University of Oulu) • [17:00-17:50 CET || 10:00-10:50 MX] "Counterfactual Sufficiency in Historical Explanation: Old and New History in 1948" Zainab Sabra (American University of Beirut) • |17:50-18:00 CET I| 10:50-11:00 MX] MINI-BREAK • [18:00-18:50 CETI 11:00-11:50 MX] "Historical Macro-Units as a Form of Conceptual Engineering" Bobby Vos (University of Cambridge) • [18:50-19:40 CET // 11:50 - 12:40 MX] "Early Modern Feminist Approaches to Misogynistic Bias in the Historical Archive" Natalia Zorrilla (McGill University) • [19:40 -19:50CET || 12:40-12:50 MX] MINI-BREAK • [19:50-20:40 CET// 12:50-13:40 MX] "Idealising the history of science for philosophical purposes" Dubian Cañas. • |20:40-21:30 CET// 13:40-14:30 MX] "Why some inaccurate case studies work? Reflections on the epistemic value of philosophically biased historical reconstructions" María del Rosario Martínez-Ordaz

November 13, 2025 • [16:00-17:30 CET I| 09:00-10:30 MX] Keynote Talk: "Newton's Metaphysics in Practice" Kirsten Walsh (University of Exeter, England) • 17:30-18:20 CET I| 10:30-11:20 MX| "Reconstructing Trust: Social-Historical Trajectories of the Physician-Patient Relationship in Post-Unification Italy" Anna Gadignani (Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Italy) • [18:20-18:30 CET I| 11:20-11:30 MX] MINI-BREAK • [18:30-19:20 CETI 11:30-12:20 MX] "Aristotle and Proclus on Mathematics as an Axiomatic Science: A Data-Driven Comparison" Maria Chiara Parisi (University of Amsterdam, NL) • 19:20-20:10 CET // 12:20 - 13:10 MX] "A reply to incommensurability: from historiography to philosophy of logic" Evelyn Erickson (Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil) • [20:10 -20:20CET || 13:10-13:20 MX] MINI-BREAK • [20:20-21:10 CET// 13:20-14:10 MX] "A Meta-Narrativist Approach to the Reconstruction of Internal History: The Autonomy-Continuity Problem" Andrés Vázquez-Quijano (UNAM) • [21:10-22:00 CET// 14:10-15:00 MX] "Problems in the historical study of the intellectual and spiritual contributions of women in classical Islam from a gender perspective" Tzitzi Janik Rojas Torres (UNAM)

Online workshop: Methodologies for use of History in Philosophy, hosted by Instituto de Investigatciones Filosoficas–UNAM, organised by María Martínez-Ordaz @mmartinezordaz.bsky.social & Teresa Rodriguez. Registration free. Complete form to receive zoom link forms.gle/qJRncUDEc254...
#HPS #Philsky

It kinda works, but it will keep buzzing you with messages like "this seems like a long document - would you like to use our assistant?" that you can't get rid of.

📢 Our September 2025 issue is out now!

Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14682303...

American (Hi)storytelling: Report #1 from a Real Experience. Written by a Theorist of History after a Tourist Visit to Salem, Massachusetts. Lisa Regazzoni - October 5th, 2025. In Salem, Massachusetts, the temporal horizons seem to merge. In this small town near Boston, the past – specifically the year 1692 – is present in a way I had not...

A new blogpost from Lisa Regazzoni (@lisaregazzoni.bsky.social): In it she describes her experience visiting the town of Salem and reflects on finding words for the encounter of merging temporal horizons.
Read more about how "1692 is “queerly” alive" here 👇
gtw.hypotheses.org/32090
#theoryofhistory

In a week, I’ll be referencing Dilthey, Ranke, Burckhardt, Heidegger, Troeltsch and Benjamin, all in one talk! From historical contemplation as existential consolation to history as a source of existential Angst. Do join!

That's right! There's one talk this Thursday (23.10) and one talk next Thursday (30.10, both 17h Finnish time) in our research seminar. Come and join us for both if you can!

Excellent!

Archaeology as Historical Science: Centering the Human in Pre-History Archaeology as Historical Science: Centering the Human in Pre-History

Today in two weeks, the autumn edition of our joint research seminar PHO2 will begin with @marilynnjohnson.bsky.social's talk "Archaeology as Historical Science: Centering the Human in Pre-History". The talk will be hybrid (in Ostrava & on Zoom). More info: www.oulu.fi/en/events/ar....

All welcome!

Congratulations! This seems like an exciting project!

what to do when a "let's all respectfully debate the intelligence of Black people" guy pops around is itself a political intelligence test and it's wild how poorly allegedly Serious Thinkers score on it

This week, I taught Hempel's d-n model in my philosophy of history course. And each time I come back to that text, I think I become more sympathetic to his point. I'm not sure which of my assumptions is shaken, but the model seems much more attractive now than when I first read about it years ago.

RDL/SLDLs work fine for me, but I can see how they can mess some people's lower backs. Any problems with other hip hinges?