A Critical Reappraisal of Historical Evolution from the Perspective of Davari Ardakani, with an Emphasis on the Idea of Historical Ruptures

Hajmohamadi, Hossein; Jannesari, Zahra

doi:10.22059/jstmt.2026.410888.1870

A Critical Reappraisal of Historical Evolution from the Perspective of Davari Ardakani, with an Emphasis on the Idea of Historical Ruptures

Document Type : Research Article / Original Article

Authors

Hossein Hajmohamadi ¹

Zahra Jannesari ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

² MA in Philosophy of Social Sciences, Department of Islamic Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

10.22059/jstmt.2026.410888.1870

Abstract

The idea of historical evolution is a fundamental component of modern thought. It construes human history as a linear, continuous, and progressive process, with modern science and technology as the culmination of this trajectory. Originating in Enlightenment rationality and modern philosophies of history, this conception has gradually assumed the status of a dominant, ostensibly universal narrative. This study examines the philosophical foundations of the idea of historical progress and analyzes Reza Davari Ardakani’s critique of it. Drawing on an analytical–interpretive approach and focusing on Davari Ardakani’s works, it argues that, in his view, the evolutionist narrative of history is neither an objective truth nor a transcendent reality; rather, it is a construct of modern rationality closely bound up with the idea of human self-foundation. Within this framework, history is reduced to a coercive, predetermined course, while fundamental ruptures, the plurality of historical worlds, and alternative possibilities of being are marginalized. Through the concepts of historical rupture and the cyclical character of history, Davari Ardakani challenges linear, evolutionist accounts, presenting human history not as the continuation of a single trajectory but as the emergence and decline of distinct worlds of meaning. The findings suggest that his critique is not intended to reject modernity or its achievements, but to foster an authentic historical self-awareness that enables a conscious, critical, and responsible engagement with the modern world. From this perspective, critiquing the idea of historical progress is a prerequisite for opening new horizons for understanding the present and considering future possibilities in societies such as Iran.

Keywords

Historical Evolution

Historical Rupture

Historical Self-Awareness

Historicism

Modernity

Reza Davari Ardakani

Subjects

Rereading and interpreting the ideas of leading Muslim thinkers

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