The Author analyzes the meaning of the notion "heretics" in the legislation of the Christian Emperors of the Roman Empire. He manifests that evident differences existed also in the understanding of this term among the Fathers of the Church and explains why was it so.

In the article the Author tries to show that the particular character of the vision of the world and history is specially revealed in the cultural and historical metaphors prevailing in that culture and history. The Author presents two ways of understanding the term (metaphor) in historical research; the advantages and the limitations of investigation based on one of them.

The article polemizes with traditional interpretations of a certain phenomenon of culture - the conspiracy theory. The point of reference is provided by Daniel Pipes' analysis of it. Referring in a critical way to the American historian's views, the Author suggests his own, culture oriented view on the notion of conspiracy and the theory of it.

The purpose of the paper is to examine the problem of the so-called "death of scientific historiography in the postmodern era". According to the Author, the relation between "history as a social science" and "history as a narrative art" has become more complicated in the late twentieth century than many critics of contemporary historiography say. Not all historians have capitulated to relativism and relevance for it is of no doubt that many of them continue to cherish the canons of their craft, to respect the regularities of the historical past, and maintain high methodological standards.

In the article, Author tries to find connections between the way of thinking in traditional societies and methods of constructing narration in modern historiography.

The article surveys the development of historical research on women: from women's history to history of gender. It focuses on the shifts in theory and goes into the implications for history at large. More specificall, it discusses the use of post-structuralist theory and method, using Joan W. Scott's Gender and the politics of history (1989) as an example. The Author argues that, so far, historians have not made full use of post-structuralism. As a result, history of gender still has to be written.

The reviewed book questions the assumption of rationality of financial market retering to numerous financial criseses in the history of capitalist economy. The author of the book calls for on economic theory which does not neglect historical facts but is well based upon them. His book raises important methodological questions about the relationship between economic historians and economists who claim the ability to theoretically explain real economic processes.

The author presents a psychobiography of Isaac Newton, which has already been published in Polish translation. In his view the book may be considered as an instructive exemplar of psychohistorical (or psychobiographical) approach which is rather unknown in Poland. That is why some basic theoretical assumptions of psychobiography, together with various elements of psychohistorical research strategy and "applied methodology", as revealed by Frank Manuel's study, are discussed there. In this way the author strives to demonstrate that psychohistorical writings really broaden conceptual background of historical studies and provide historians with new sources and new questions to the past.

One of the most prominent English historians, Thomas Babington Macaulay belongs to a group of thinkers which developed what H. Butterfield in 1931 called the ,,Whig interpretation of History". Although Butterfield criticised this kind of writing about the past, Macaulay's ,,History of England" became the most influential interpretation of English history in the 19th century. One of the most important issues for Thomas Babington was the process of the formation of the English political system. The English constitution, a fundamental element of political system of the largest empire in the! 9th century, was a very important model for every political thinker. This is why a presentation of Lord Macaulays view on the most important events which influenced the formation of the British political system is a key to understanding not only the English constitution but also the role and importance of historians and their works for English politics. The article presents one of the most influential interpretation of the English constitution in the 19th Century, written by the eminent historian and statesman Thomas Babington Lord Macaulay.

The Author presents the metaphysical and ethical principles of Thomas Hill Greens political doctrine, first of all his idea of individual self-realisation and the common good.

The article presents a dispute on problems connected with the shape and condition of contemporary science. The starting point is provided by the Author's criticism of two cultural formations (postmodernism and religions fundamentalism) based on his own paradigm of enlighted rationalistic fundamentalism. The Author discusses with Ernest Gellner's suggestions, presents a different, constructive interpretation of competing paradigms.

The Author confronts various opinions on king James II and Restauration era, presented in numerous Histories of England published over the period of one and a half of century after the Glorious Revolution