6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Interesting Take, April 13, 2000
This review is from: Hegel: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series) (Paperback)
The Great Philosopher's book on Hegel is interesting because it approaches him from a religious context. Normally one would expect a fifty page survey of Hegel to focus on the dialectic, his views on history or materialism or government. Instead, the book places its emphasis on his metaphysical philosophy. Different and intriguing, this book is well worth a read.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Hegelian unity in 56 pages..., October 2, 2007
This review is from: Hegel: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series) (Paperback)
Hegel sits atop the promontory of nineteenth century philosophy. The grandfather of almost all subsequent thought, the thick turgid prose of his tomes both inspired and disgusted eminent thinkers from Kierkegaard to Derrida. To say that all philosophy subsequent to the nineteenth century comprises footnotes to Hegel would only be a slight exaggeration. He spun orbs of theory that attempted to encompass everything: philosophy, history, psychology, religion, sociology, and whatever else he could pack into his grand narrative. A basic understanding of Hegel remains a prerequisite for comprehending what came after his impenetrable cathedralesque philosophy. Finding an unimposing entry point will pose the greatest challenge for the uninitiated.
This diminutive book in no way provides the keys to Hegel's kingdom. Nonetheless, it does give a view of the doormat in front of the gate. Religious philosophy remains the focus throughout. After a brief summary of Hegel's influence and life, the book delves into the "fears of fragmentation." Many people, especially younger people, find crises in their contemporary cultures. Like the Nietzsche of "The Birth of Tragedy," Hegel exemplifies the Greeks as the ideal of culture. He sees a crisis in the "otherworldly" posturing of Christianity, in contrast with the very in-the-world ancient Greek religion. People's minds, inspired by their beliefs, turn towards the heavens and away from terra firma. One of Hegel's main goals became the reinterpretation of Christianity. To bring religion to the foundation of everyday life required conceiving of mind in terms of people's workaday experiences. It also requires, borrowed from the linear conception of Christianity itself, an irreversible progression called "dialectic" which leads to "Absolute Knowledge." In stark contrast to post-modern and "language game" thinking, Hegel posits an ultimate end and goal to history. We're all heading somewhere. We're not just drifting in dark matter. Not only that, we can also discover this process, called the "Absolute Idea," and finally comprehend it fully, when it becomes "Absolute Spirit." These ideas also tie into a new sociological interpretation of the Holy Trinity. Roughly, this process provides a basis for Christianity in the community. As the author puts it: "The philosophical understanding of the rationality of human experience and history is equivalent to the incarnate life of God, or the embodiment of the Absolute Idea, linking the divine to the human in everyday life and experience." Say that three times fast.
The remainder of the book deals with religion and theology. Hegel, in contrast to orthodox belief, argues that we can know God through studying history and nature because God externalizes him/herself as all conscious beings do (in "otherness"). Next, also in opposition to certain orthodoxy, creation is seen as a necessary phenomenon, not just a simple whim of God. God is disclosed through creation. The incarnation of God through Jesus also gets reappraised as the inner nature of all humanity. Jesus had no monopoly on divinity, we all have it. Hegel also philosophizes the story of the Fall and declares that philosophy is in "the service of God." Through reason those elements previously known as "mysteries" become available to all. On this line, Hegel attempts to democratize religious knowledge through rational and Idealist philosophy. In the end, the book categorizes Hegel as a "panentheist," as opposed to a pantheist (like Spinoza's conception of "God" which Hegel argued against). God is embodied in the world but the world is not identical with God. All of this ties in neatly with the ideas of dialectic and cultural fragmentation presented earlier. As such, this small book presents a microcosm of Hegelian thought itself by creating a unified and systematic unity, though of course significantly diluted due to space. This provides an appropriate appetite whetter and launching pad for further study of this saggy-eyed hoary cogitator of grand narratives.
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