Thomas Carlyle (Often referred to as the Sage of Chelsea) was a Scottish historian and philosopher often credited as the creator of the Great Man Theory of history. Having emerged as the top expert on German Idealism, he would become highly critical of the more empirical approach to history often represented by Leopold Von Ranke (LSE), and embody an alternative and much less approach to history.
The first thing that stands out when reading any of Carlyle’s works is his fixation on the transcendent. On Heroes, Hero-Worship, & the Heroic in History is the work often cited as the creation of the great man school of history. The book (originally a series of lectures) waxes lyrically (and often unintelligibly) about the impact of great men. The following quote from that book’s first paragraph should make it clear what the appeal of great men was to Carlyle:
“For, as I take it, Universal History, the history of what man has accomplished in this world, is at bottom the History of the Great Men who have worked here. They were the leaders of men, these great ones; the modellers, patterns, and in a wide sense creators, of whatsoever the general mass of men contrived to do or to attain; all things that we see standing accomplished in the world are properly the outer material result, the practical realization and embodiment, of Thoughts that dwelt in the Great Men sent into the world: the soul of the whole world's history, it may justly be considered, were the history of these.”
From this quotation, it is evident that the value he finds in great men comes from their massive impacts that echo through the course of history. This shows a strong degree of valuation for both F and T. Furthermore, this is T’s idealization of F. This is highly suggestive of T1 and F5. His attitude towards I is evident when it comes to his attitude toward the tendency of finding faults in great men. While he concedes that they do not lack flaws, he also sees little value in focusing on them. This shows a strong disinterest in speculation that complicates his view of capital T truth. This is consistent with I7. Carlyle lived the life of an intellectual with the level of inactivity that one would associate with that lifestyle. However, despite this fact, the figures he tended to like were highly active and impactful figures. This is consistent with the notion that he preferred action to stability despite not being a man of action. This is consistent with S3 and F5. Carlyle’s approach to logic is obvious simply from pursuing On Heroes, Hero-Worship, & the Heroic in History. There is almost nothing solidly factual in the whole text. It simply teases out an understanding of the significance through almost incoherent ramblings. This shows a high degree of L without the P supplementing it. However this tendency was put even more on display in his attempt to write a biography of Frederick the Great (LIE). He set out to write a biography due to the fact that he embodied his ideal of a great man. However, once he got into the relevant archives and studied the relevant battlefields, he was overwhelmed by the facts. The work ended up expanding into 6 volumes published with Carlyle himself referring to the process as “his thirteen year war with Frederick the Great”. This all shows that despite having some skill as a philosopher, his ability to deal with factual information was limited. This is a good example of P4 and L6. Carlyle’s approach to ethics was more sophisticated and evident in the notion of great man history. It is a perspective which is highly concerned with specific individuals while treating most as fungible. It does this primarily by determining who qualifies as great figures. However these people are not identified through the virtue of their character, but instead by their impact and legacy. In this way it links the relational with the public in a way that prioritizes the values of the public. This is consistent with R8 and E2. With T1, E2, S3, P4, F5, L6, I7, and R8 demonstrated, it is safe to conclude that Thomas Carlyle was an IEI.
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmJwmw0Rwdg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_YBTC20fLg&t=1087s
On Heroes, Hero-Worship, & the Heroic in History
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1091/1091-h/1091-h.htm For the Text
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhsQghry7nhWzVvYSi_azb4OHWrMkfzCJ Audiobook form available on Youtube
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/25808/pg25808-images.html
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