Hegel's Critique of the Enlightenment

Hegel's Critique of the Enlightenment PDF Author: Lewis P. Hinchman
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780813025339
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
The Enlightenment has turned different faces to those who have sought to demonstrate its significance for contemporary politics and philosophy. Some would call it the seedbed of all that is best in modern Western civilization: human rights, toleration, popular sovereignty, and the idea of progress. Others have glimpsed a darker side, stressing its celebration of “instrumental” reason, mechanistic determinism, hostility to religion, and political “atomism.” Lewis Hinchman discerns in Hegel the first major philosopher to have appreciated the ambiguous nature of the Enlightenment and to have undertaken a systematic inquiry into its origins and sociopolitical implications. Hinchman is sympathetic toward Hegel's philosophical approach, seeing in it anticipations of (even improvements on) influential nineteenth- and twentieth-century critiques on empiricism and liberalism. On the other hand, he does take Hegel to task in cases where Hegel appears to stray from his own program and principles (most notably in the philosophy of right). Hinchman's approach to Hegel will appeal to a wide range of readers, including political scientists, intellectual historians, and students of comparative and nineteenth-century German literature, as well as philosophers interested in the history of their own discipline. He brings together for comparison texts and passages that are frequently studied in isolation from each other by scholars in diverse fields. The burden of Hinchman's argument falls upon his reconstruction of Hegel's concept of the self. He shows how Hegel partly adopts ideas of the self that were longstanding among Enlightenment philosophers such as Descartes, Kant, and Fichte, and partly develops a novel conception in response to inadequacies in his predecessors' theories. Hinchman contends that Hegel is the first philosopher to work out a truly nonsubstantialist idea of the self, one that does not “reify” this most elusive of human activities. He then demonstrates that implications of this conception of the self when one applies it as Hegel did to a critique of the Enlightenment's epistemology and sociopolitical practice.

Hegel's Critique of the Enlightenment

Hegel's Critique of the Enlightenment PDF Author: Lewis P. Hinchman
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780813025339
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 316

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Enlightenment has turned different faces to those who have sought to demonstrate its significance for contemporary politics and philosophy. Some would call it the seedbed of all that is best in modern Western civilization: human rights, toleration, popular sovereignty, and the idea of progress. Others have glimpsed a darker side, stressing its celebration of “instrumental” reason, mechanistic determinism, hostility to religion, and political “atomism.” Lewis Hinchman discerns in Hegel the first major philosopher to have appreciated the ambiguous nature of the Enlightenment and to have undertaken a systematic inquiry into its origins and sociopolitical implications. Hinchman is sympathetic toward Hegel's philosophical approach, seeing in it anticipations of (even improvements on) influential nineteenth- and twentieth-century critiques on empiricism and liberalism. On the other hand, he does take Hegel to task in cases where Hegel appears to stray from his own program and principles (most notably in the philosophy of right). Hinchman's approach to Hegel will appeal to a wide range of readers, including political scientists, intellectual historians, and students of comparative and nineteenth-century German literature, as well as philosophers interested in the history of their own discipline. He brings together for comparison texts and passages that are frequently studied in isolation from each other by scholars in diverse fields. The burden of Hinchman's argument falls upon his reconstruction of Hegel's concept of the self. He shows how Hegel partly adopts ideas of the self that were longstanding among Enlightenment philosophers such as Descartes, Kant, and Fichte, and partly develops a novel conception in response to inadequacies in his predecessors' theories. Hinchman contends that Hegel is the first philosopher to work out a truly nonsubstantialist idea of the self, one that does not “reify” this most elusive of human activities. He then demonstrates that implications of this conception of the self when one applies it as Hegel did to a critique of the Enlightenment's epistemology and sociopolitical practice.

Contradiction of Enlightenment

Contradiction of Enlightenment PDF Author: Nigel Tubbs
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429836503
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
Published in 1997, this books is an examination of the determination of the concept of enlightenment, and related notions, within modern social relations. The work opens up innovative areas of research into the relationship between philosophy, social relations, and education. It applies Gillian Rose's work on "the broken middle" of Hegelian philosophy to social and educational theorizing. It offers a critique of the idea of enlightenment, and of the identity of the teacher in social theory - Rousseau, Marx and Durkheim - in critical theory - Habermas and Adorno - in "postmodernism" - Foucalt and Nietzsche - and in a variety of educational and pedagogical theories. The book concludes with an original application of Hegelian speculative philosophy to the teacher/student relationship. This work challenges those working in social theory and in education to comprehend the contradictions on their theorising as a shared philosophical consciousness, a shared "broken middle".

Hegel's Critique of Liberalism

Hegel's Critique of Liberalism PDF Author: Steven B. Smith
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226763501
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
In Hegel's Critique of Liberalism, Steven B. Smith examines Hegel's critique of rights-based liberalism and its relevance to contemporary political concerns. Smith argues that Hegel reformulated classic liberalism, preserving what was of value while rendering it more attentive to the dynamics of human history and the developmental structure of the moral personality. Hegel's goal, Smith suggests, was to find a way of incorporating both the ancient emphasis on the dignity and even architectonic character of political life with the modern concern for freedom, rights, and mutual recognition. Smith's insightful analysis reveals Hegel's relevance not only to contemporary political philosophers concerned with normative issues of liberal theory but also to political scientists who have urged a revival of the state as a central concept of political inquiry.

Dostoyevsky Reads Hegel in Siberia and Bursts into Tears

Dostoyevsky Reads Hegel in Siberia and Bursts into Tears PDF Author: Laszlo F. Foldenyi
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300252498
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
An exemplary collection of work from one of the world’s leading scholars of intellectual history László F. Földényi is a writer who is learned in reference, taste, and judgment, and entertaining in style. Taking a place in the long tradition of public intellectual and cultural criticism, his work resonates with that of Montaigne, Rilke, and Mann in its deep insight into aspects of culture that have been suppressed, yet still remain in the depth of our conscious. In this new collection of essays, Földényi considers the fallout from the end of religion and how the traditions of the Enlightenment have failed to replace neither the metaphysical completeness nor the comforting purpose of the previously held mythologies. Combining beautiful writing with empathy, imagination, fascination, and a fierce sense of justice, Földényi covers a wide range of topics that include a meditation on the metaphysical unity of a sculpture group and an analysis of fear as a window into our relationship with time.

On the Nature of Philosophical Criticism in General

On the Nature of Philosophical Criticism in General PDF Author: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Publisher: Newcomb Livraria Press
ISBN: 3989888420
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 54

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Book Description
A new translation directly from the original manuscript of Hegel's "On the Nature of Philosophical Criticism in General and its Relationship to the Current State of Philosophy in Particular". This edition contains an extensive afterword on Hegelian philosophy by the translator and a timeline of his life and works. This essay would form the basis of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. This was first printed in 1802 in the Critical Journal of Philosophy, edited by Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. In this article, Hegel stresses the need for an objective standard for philosophical criticism, independent of both the critic and the criticised. He argues that there can only be one philosophy and that there is only one reason. Therefore, there should be only one true philosophy, and criticism has the task of determining the nature and degree to which the idea of philosophy is clearly expressed in a philosophical work. Hegel also identifies various types of philosophising of his time, including those that masquerade as original but are in fact empty word games. He criticises the tendency to invent particular principles and systems without recognising the ideal philosophy, and argues against what he calls 'provisional philosophising', in which philosophers use existing knowledge without any real systemic understanding.

What is Enlightenment?

What is Enlightenment? PDF Author: Samuel Fleischacker
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0415486068
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
This engaging and lucid book explains and assesses Kant's philosophy of Enlightenment. Including helpful chapter summaries and guides to further reading, it is ideal for anyone studying Kant or the Enlightenment, as well students of politics, history and religious studies.

Idleness

Idleness PDF Author: Brian O'Connor
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691204500
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
"For millennia, idleness and laziness have been regarded as vices. We're all expected to work to survive and get ahead, and devoting energy to anything but labor and self-improvement can seem like a luxury or a moral failure. Far from questioning this conventional wisdom, modern philosophers have worked hard to develop new reasons to denigrate idleness. In Idleness, the first book to challenge modern philosophy's portrayal of inactivity, Brian O'Connor argues that the case against an indifference to work and effort is flawed--and that idle aimlessness may instead allow for the highest form of freedom. Idleness explores how some of the most influential modern philosophers drew a direct connection between making the most of our humanity and avoiding laziness. Idleness was dismissed as contrary to the need people have to become autonomous and make whole, integrated beings of themselves (Kant); to be useful (Kant and Hegel); to accept communal norms (Hegel); to contribute to the social good by working (Marx); and to avoid boredom (Schopenhauer and de Beauvoir). O'Connor throws doubt on all these arguments, presenting a sympathetic vision of the inactive and unserious that draws on more productive ideas about idleness, from ancient Greece through Robert Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy, Schiller and Marcuse's thoughts about the importance of play, and recent critiques of the cult of work. A thought-provoking reconsideration of productivity for the twenty-first century, Idleness shows that, from now on, no theory of what it means to have a free mind can exclude idleness from the conversation."--Provided by publisher

Hegel Reconsidered

Hegel Reconsidered PDF Author: H. Tristram Engelhardt Jr.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401583781
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
Much of contemporary philosophy, political theory, and social thought has been shaped directly or indirectly by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, though there is considerable disagreement about how his work should be understood. He has been described both as a metaphysician and characterized as an ironic narrator who anticipated the character of philosophy after metaphysics. His position is equally ambiguous with regard to his political thought. He has been construed both as an enemy of the liberal state and as a friend of freedom. This volume's revisionist reassessment, building on the scholarship of Klaus Hartmann, explores these ambiguities in favor of a non-metaphysical reading of Hegel's arguments. It also shows how the foundations of his political thought support a liberal democratic state. This reappraisal of Hegel's arguments resituates him as a philosopher who anticipates the difficulties of post-modernity and offers a basis for reassessing ontology, aesthetics, and revolution. Philosophers and those doing work in political theory will find this volume of great interest.

The Cambridge Companion to German Idealism

The Cambridge Companion to German Idealism PDF Author: Karl Ameriks
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107147840
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 433

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Book Description
Comprehensive and incisive, with three new chapters, this updated edition sees world-renowned scholars explore a rich and complex philosophical movement.

An Introduction to Hegel's Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion

An Introduction to Hegel's Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion PDF Author: Jon Stewart
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192842935
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
"It provides an account of the criticism of religion by key Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire, Lessing, Hume, and Kant. This is followed by an analysis of how the Romantic thinkers, such as Rousseau, Jacobi, and Schleiermacher, responded to these challenges. For Hegel, the views of these thinkers from both the Enlightenment and Romanticism tended to empty religion of its content. The goal that he sets for his own philosophy of religion is to restore this lost content. " -- back cover.