Surveying two centuries of philosophical writing, this text offers a guide to the philosophy of history before the recent challenges associated with deconstructive postmodernism. The book then argues for a moderate intellectual tradition in which historical knowledge continues to play a crucial role in the conduct of human affairs. This account of historicism explores the ideas of its major 19th-century representatives and foils, including Hegel, Dilthey and Nietzsche. The book's account of such 20th-century thinkers as Gadamer, Croce, Foucault and Heidegger should contribute to the ongoing discussions about the use and abuse of history.