Coltin Griffith - Section 008 - Post #1 - Hegel

Georg W.F. Hegel was a German philosopher who was a major figure in German idealism. His historicist and idealist account of reality pushed for Marxism and historism. He believed in relationships between nature and freedom and between immanence and transcendence. He made contributions to abstract logic, the role of history, and the notions of the negative and the ethical.

Hegel had very fiendishly difficult writing to understand. It was mainly expressed in an abstract language. One of his most famous quotes from one of his abstract works was “The owl of Minerva flies only at dusk.” Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and was often associated with an owl. His views on the importance of history inspired Karl Marx. However, Hegel was not the most popular among other philosophers. He had very devoted students that dedicated themselves to understanding his work.

                Hegel was heavily influenced by his rejection of Immanuel Kant’s view that noumenal reality lies beyond the phenomenal world. He believed reality is just reality and that there is nothing beyond it. He believed everything was in the process of change and that self-awareness boosts this change. To Hegel reality was just moving towards its goal of understanding itself. He believed history was a way to something better. He thought we are moving from individual freedom to a world where everyone is free. Spirit must become aware of its own freedom in order for society to progress.

                Hegel was interesting. I’d really like to read one of his works, but I fear that I’d be ultimately confused. I like his view on history and how it is ultimately leading to a better future in which we understand and can be free. His thoughts on freedom were a little difficult to wrap my head around, but it makes a little more sense every time I think about it. Maybe it’s because I want there to be some sort of evolution for mankind and some grasp of a better reality. If we can look back at our history and develop a sense of self-awareness, then I think we can find a sense of freedom for mankind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ysTs3wDWQ