Excerpt from Ranke's lectures on world history (1854)
THE OBJECT OF THE PRESENT LECTURES requires that we understand two things: first, our starting point; and, secondly, the major concepts. As far as a starting point is concerned, to place ourselves in far-distant periods, in wholly remote circumstances, would lead us too far afield from our purpose. These periods do exercise an influence upon the present, but only indirectly. We must, in order not to lose ourselves in purely historical detail, begin with Roman times, in which we can find a combination of the most diverse historical forces. Next, we must come to an agreement on the concept of progress in general, and then on the way in which we can understand the role played by leading ideas in combination with this concept.
I. HOW THE CONCEPT OF PROGRESS SHOULD BE UNDERSTOOD IN HISTORY
If we wished to agree with many philosophers that the whole of humanity has developed from a given original state toward a positive goal, we could present the matter two ways: either a general directing will guides the development of the human race from one point to another, or humanity contains an onward-marching progression of the spirit which necessarily drives it toward a defined goal. I should prefer to characterize both these ways as neither philosophically tenable nor historically provable. Philosophically, the first case eliminates human freedom and makes involuntary tools out of men. The other requires that mankind be God or nothing.
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