Arnold Toynbee's concept of man

Abstract

Purpose.--Toynbee deals with problems of human nature surprisingly often, and it turns out, upon examination, that his philosophy of history has its roots in his concept of man. The purpose of this dissertation is to abstract Toynbee's concept of man from A Study of History and An Historian's Approach to Religion in order to see it synoptically, and to discover if it is essentially coherent and empirical. The dissertation includes a biography of Toynbee (with separate statements regarding his religious faith and purpose in writing A Study of History) and a summary of his philosophy of history. Description of Toynbee's concept of man.--Toynbee accepts the evolutionary emergence of man and believes that, at the same time, man is the creation of a personal Absolute Reality working purposefully in history toward some unknown goal. Human nature has undergone little change since "sub-man" became man. [TRUNCATED]