In "Universal History," Kant proposes nine theses that creates an idea of universal history-- history which allows people to discover freedom of the will and to develop and progress to each specie's capacity or each human's "unknown natural end." (Kant, 17) Hegel, in "Reason in History," also discusses the nature of history by presenting three methods of analyzing history: Original History, Reflective History, and Philosophical History. Both philosophers believe that history brings us towards reason, and is a process that transcends or goes beyond the control of human -- whether in form of the 'spirit' or simply by natural laws of nature. Applying Hegel's "reflective history" to Kant's propositions of "Universal History" shows that within the 4 types of reflective history, pragmatic history can be compared to Kant's second thesis; fragmentary history and critical history both share similar concepts with the ninth thesis of "Universal History"; and Hegel's idea of the 'spirit' also seem to have the same purpose as what Kant believes are nature 's natural laws-- leading individuals towards enlightenment and reason.
             Kant's second proposition states that "reason...requires trial, practice, and instruction in order to gradually progress from one stage of insight to another." (Kant, 19) Knowledge and enlightenment, which is the basis for reason, is passed on from one generation to the next. These "natural capacities" of human beings are developed through the specie and not fully through individuals because "each individual man would have to live excessively long if he were to make complete use of his natural capacities." (Kant 19) Hegel's pragmatic history is similar to this concept. Hegel writes that pragmatic history is "dealing with the past" and events of the pas...