WEWNĘTRZNA RACJONALNOŚĆ NAUK HISTORYCZNYCH

This article is an attempt to show a possible way to find out, what kind of rationality characterizes history. It bases on philosophical assumption that idea of rationality is always directly connected with idea of truth. Th is connection was presented in the article as an argument for treating the notion of historical truth as the right basis for analyze rationality of history. In light of modern theory of history, historical truth can be see from angle of the notion of truth proposed by Hilary Putnam and Willard Van Orman Quine. It means that it can be understand as the internal truth: truth dependent on its context. In accordance with main assumption, this fact allows history to try to think about its own rationality in similar way: to define it as internal (contextual) rationality, which accurately mirrors the individual character of historical cognition. Th e article points out theoretical problems potentially connected with above conception of rationality. Question, whether history has ability to analyze the rationality by its own instruments, was underlined as one of the most important.