When1: 1806
When2: 1844
Who: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel [Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich]
What: philosopher
Where: Germany
works\ Phenomenology of Spirit [1807]; Science of Logic [1830]; Science of Logic [1808 to 1815]; Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences [1817]; Philosophy of Spirit [1817]; Elements of the Philosophy of Right [1821]
Detail: He lived 1770 to 1831 and was empiricist and materialist. He expanded dialectical method of Kant.
Epistemology
Categories or statements {thesis, philosophy} have within them internal contradictions, which are opposite categories or statements {antithesis, philosophy}. The only available resolution is to combine the statements at a higher thought level {dialectical method}, to reach new categories or statements {synthesis, philosophy}. Dialectic applies to all subjects. Synthesis can explain all phenomena. Theses and anti-theses are not fully in consciousness until synthesized to higher knowledge.
Dialectic can continually create new theses from existing ones, without limit. Knowledge subjects develop through dialectic.
Thinking methods or categories similarly have internal contradictions. Reason as object of itself negates reason as subject. Sensations are objects, consciousnesses are subjects, and their synthesis is self-knowledge. Self perceives individual subjective spirit and objective spirit, and synthesis resolves these two into one absolute spirit, which is perception in art, image in religion, and concept in philosophy and combines personal and social.
People already contain in their minds all knowledge but must remember, grasp, or learn it through dialectic to make it exist {learning paradox}. However, theses and categories are not real but exist only in mind as mental-process parts.
Material mind cannot perceive ideal rational concept of mind or spirit but can know spirit through people's objective spirit.
Ethics
People's objective spirit causes activity, will, and spiritual life. Abstract, general objective spirit in itself is Right. Acting morally is following the commands of Right. The moral order has people in states following Right.
Morality is from family and society and so is social in origin and maintenance.
Religion relates finite spirit to infinite and absolute spirit. People can gain better absolute-spirit knowledge through better finite-spirit representations.
Freedom applies to objective spirit as it tries to know absolute spirit better and develop self and society. Subjective spirit is not free.
History
History is self-realization of absolute spirit working through individuals and nations. The Absolute comes to understand itself through the dialectic of history. States develop by such dynamic processes, not by rules or social contracts and other static abstract-principles. States are particular and individual expressions of people's objective spirits.
History develops through dialectic toward higher consciousness and more freedom. In ancient empires, only emperor had freedom. In ancient Greece, more people, as city-state individual citizens, were free and began to think more. Reformation allowed more people to be more individual and use their minds more. In the Enlightenment, states and institutions became more rational and favored more freedom.
Metaphysics
Reality is only spiritual, with subjective spirit {soul, Hegel}, objective spirit {consciousness, Hegel}, and absolute spirit {geist, Hegel}. Absolute spirit {Absolute, Hegel} {Absolute Mind} {Absolute Idea} is unconditional and unitary. Absolute spirit {absolute idealism} is real, rational, and true, because it knows itself and has no contradiction, from Fichte. Absolute spirit permeates whole universe and has synthesized and unified all concepts {gedanken, Hegel} through its dialectic, which motivates the dialectic in everything. Absolute Mind {Begriff} contains all knowledge and has reflections in intuition in art, imagination in religion, and pure logic in philosophy.
Dialectic in everything means universe is like organisms that continually develop.
Particular and finite thing is separate from infinite whole and can be only partially real and true. Combining particulars makes more reality and truth.
Because finite things have contradictions in themselves if they apply to the whole or absolute, finite things develop by thesis, anti-thesis, and resolution through the dialectic contained in absolute spirit.
Mind
Objective spirit or consciousness is a finite reflection of absolute spirit. Mind is subject that can know something other than itself {alienation, Hegel}. This thesis-antithesis resolves at higher level using absolute spirit. Because spirit is self-determined, objective spirit acts through logical necessity and develops through dialectic stages like organisms grow.
Politics
History stages have dominant groups that arise from national spirit, and groups determine people's ideas and decisions.
Ideal societies are rational communities that provide maximum benefits, so all people can give it allegiance, not just one group.
History judges actions. Therefore, power and success make whatever happened be the right or best thing {might makes right}.
Social Sciences>Philosophy>History>Mind
Outline of Knowledge Database Home Page
Description of Outline of Knowledge Database
Date Modified: 2022.0224