Background
Toynbee, Arnold Joseph was born on April 14, 1889 in London.
Historian and philosopher of history
Toynbee, Arnold Joseph was born on April 14, 1889 in London.
Balliol College. Oxford. 1907-1911.
1912 15, Tutor. Balliol College. Oxford: 1919 -24, Professor of Byzantine and Modern Greek Language, Literature and History, London University. 1925-1955, Director of Studies in the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London.
Toynbee began as a Greek and Latin scholar and soon developed a thorough knowledge of Greek literature and history. His output was prodigious. Although he was a professed agnostic, a strong religious interest pervaded his writings. Toynbee’s monumental Study of History (1934-1961) presents a large-scale analysis of the nature of ‘civilizations’ and the processes which lead to their integration, fossilization and transformation. What he purports to show is that some twenty-six civilizations, conceived as self-contained units, exemplify certain similar patterns in their development. He claims to have arrived at this scheme ‘scientifically’, by way of inductive generalization. Toynbee’s interpretation, which is one of the most obvious examples of what is sometimes called ‘speculative philosophy of history’, was met with severe criticism from professional historians. Toynbee, however, was widely read by the general public. The outstanding achievement of his work, despite its evident methodological flaws, is that it provided a useful corrective to single-track conceptions of history and initiated stimulating comparisons between civilizations.