Die Förderung der Forschung und die Geisteswissenschaften

Since 1957, when the first Sputnik was orbited into space, the discussion of the backward status of scientific and technical research in the western world has given rise to a repeated posing of the question as to the benefits and advantages of the humanities (Geisteswissenschaften) in modern society. Particularly in England such discussions were carried on at high level and with lively interest. We are faced as weIl with the question of the status of the humanities, whether, as a conception and a system, they are as unequi­ vocal as they would appear at first glance, or, whether one can speak in this regard of their status and backward status; what causes on could cite for this condition and what measures suggest themselves for an improvement of this situation. Nowadays, the concept of humanities is generally employed in a narrow sense, dictated by history as a dimension of the self-evidence of man. But, this spectrum can be expanded even further. If one views man in his origin, then all of the historical disciplines can be included in one, comprehensive universal history, differing, of course, in its individual elements. If one views man in his contemporary aspects, i. e.