This chapter consists of a dialogue between Roger Simon and Jörn Rüsen following a symposium in August 2001. There are different approaches to historical consciousness discussed within the dialogue and it offers readers an opportunity to view a trace of the theoretical and research-driven engagement with the topic by two historians working within the field. While both Simon and Rusen view the study through moral reflection and action, their approaches are quite different, especially with regard to identity, recognition and narratives. Simon’s study of historical consciousness focuses on the limits of interpreting concepts and narratives in order to better understand lives and events in the past. On the other hand, Rusen focuses on the need for conceptual frameworks to discuss and measure how the past becomes meaningful in the present. Den Heyer explores the myriad of differences between Simon’s and Rüsen’s approaches to studying and classifying historical consciousness. The chapter concludes with a script of the dialogue concerning historical consciousness between Rusen, Simon and other academics.