Contemporary History – Philosophy of Time – Diagnosis of the Present

History, time and the present comprise three different manifestations of temporality: Contemporary history seemingly reduces the historical distance when it examines periods of time close to the present. But it aims at gaining historical distance for questioning the present. If it succeeds in doing so, it can take a critical stance on the present and can thus turn into its diagnosis. Philosophy of time, by contrast, questions the relations of experienced and measured time. Time can be measured and reified, but it remains manifoldly embedded in history, philosophy, diagnostics. Time has a fundamental and structuring effect in everyday experiences, therapeutic decisions or medical actions. Philosophy of time, diagnosis of the present and contemporary history have in common that they explore the variances of temporal phenomena in different dimensions.