Full Idea
The history of philosophy up to now is nothing but a history of attempts to discover how to do philosophy.
Gist of Idea
The history of philosophy is just experiments in how to do philosophy
Source
Novalis (Logological Fragments I [1798], 01)
Book Reference
Novalis: 'Philosophical Writings', ed/tr. Stoljar,M.M. [SUNY 1997], p.47
A Reaction
I take post-Fregean analytic metaphysics to be another experiment in how to do philosophy. I suspect that the experiment of Husserl, Heidegger, Derrida etc has been a failure.
Related Idea
Idea 19583 Philosophy only begins when it studies itself [Novalis]