The Encyclopedia System as a Form of Worship

Abstract

This chapter proposes a reading of Hegel’s Encyclopedia system from the point of view of the philosophy of religion. More specifically, it aims to show the systematic character of the Encyclopedia as a form of philosophical worship of the Divine. The chapter, which is divided into four parts, concentrates on the main ‘object’ of the encyclopedic system: the Idea. In the first part, I interpret the Idea as ‘an object worthy of worship,’ i.e. as an entity that is ultimate and separated on the one hand (transcendent), yet still approachable on the other (immanent). In the second part, I analyze the relation between the dialectic – which is the philosophical expression of the Idea – and cultic activity. In the third and in the fourth final part, I consider the results of the fully explicated Idea. I hereby focus on the final section of the Encyclopedia logic and of the philosophy of Spirit. I argue that the absolute Idea – and even more absolute Spirit – can be understood as the philosophical articulation of a ‘liturgical worldview,’ in which every single element is an immediate and transparent expression of the divine origin.