The French Historian’s Concept Of Historical Continuity In The Age Of Enlightenment

The concept of historical continuity is very important in western history. Itstemmed from the history of Christian theology and basically formed in the age ofenlightenment. It developed throughout the western historical studies and had aprofound impact on both western and non-western world. On the basis of researchresults of the western and Chinese scholars, this paper elaborated the specificconnotation, general characteristics and important position of the concept of historicalcontinuity.Firstly, this paper summarized the historical background of the concept ofhistorical continuity. With the big change of the capitalist economy, politics andideology in18th century, the concept of historical continuity was influenced by thetrends of rationalism in the whole of Europe and critically inherited the history ofChristian theology and humanistic historiography thought. This concept eventuallyformed.Secondly, this paper studied and commented on the differences between theFrench representative historians Voltaire and Condorcet in the concept of historicalcontinuity. Voltaire thought that historical development is a progress of the wave andit is a unity, whose fundamental impetus is reason, and a great man or contingencyalso drives history forward. Condorcet thought that historical development is aprogress of the stages, and its fundamental impetus is reason. He also saw the impactof evil and described the goal in the future.Then, this paper compared Voltaire and Condorcet to reveal generalcharacteristics of the concept of the historical continuity from the following aspects,the subject, the time, the trend, the power, the causal explanation of the continuousdevelopment of history.Finally, this paper evaluated the concept of historical continuity in the age ofenlightenment briefly.