Hegelian Perspective Research Articles

Death and Spirit in Hegel’s Philosophy of Nature

The text discusses the problem of the relationship between nature and thinking in Hegel’s Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences (1830). By considering the dialectics of natural life and the significance of death of the individual for the emergence of spirit in nature, it is argued that spirit, in the Hegelian perspective of speculative thinking, does not emerge from nature as its otherness, as „a more beautiful nature“ that has overcome death. Rather, it appears as a negativity and impotence in nature itself, as the infinite potential of Nature‘s mutability. This highlights the ambivalent unity of nature and thought and the threat of the naturalisation of each.

After Hegel: A postmodern genealogy of historical fiction

In this article, we analyze a possible form of the relationship between modernity and postmodernity by examining the transformation of the place of enunciation of criticism as a philosophical narrative and using it as a historical and philosophical criterion. To achieve this, we first focus on key moments in the critical discourse of modernity, and then analyze the role of Kantian criticism in the formation of a postmodern imaginary associated with the notions of useful fiction and linguistification. Finally, from a Hegelian perspective, we consider the validity of the idea of universal history and its connections to emancipatory narratives.

Philosophy and Politics – An Odd Couple

The article addresses the strange relationship between politics and philosophy, a relationship that is determined by peculiar asymmetries, by critically discussing the work of French anthropologist, Sylvan Lazarus. It demonstrates from a Hegelian perspective that philosophy is able to think that and what “politics thinks” in a historically singular way and thereby does not fall prey to the criticisms raised against it from the “thinking of politics in its interiority” (Lazarus).

The Expression of Self-Awareness in Pakistani Paintings: Hegelian Perspective (1947- 1977)

The Expression of Self-Awareness in Pakistani Paintings: Hegelian Perspective (1947- 1977)

A Hegelian Perspective on Nature Recognition

Recent posthuman theories of nature recognition seek to move beyond Hegel’s anthropological starting point. This article serves as a critical rejoinder to such posthuman attempts by taking aim at posthumanism’s flat ontology and concept of agency. Instead, it is suggested that a genuine Hegelian starting point is better suited to discern the complex interrelationship between the human and nonhuman. It is argued that a Hegelian theory of recognition that takes Hegel’s Philosophy of Nature and Philosophy of Mind into consideration can give nature its due while simultaneously preserving humans as the primary locus of agency in answering current environmental problems.

Sacred Socialism

Sacred Socialism

A Case for the Young Foucault

ABSTRACT Between 1949 and 1961 (or, arguably, 1966), three interconnected dimensions of Foucault’s early thought emerged. First, the young Foucault offered a Hegelian perspective on Kant’s notion of the transcendental. The a priori conditions of thought, Foucault suggested, both shape and arise from historical experience. Second, Foucault drew on Heidegger’s study of Kant to argue that modern thought rests on the premise of human finitude and embraces a problematic epistemology rooted in philosophical anthropology. Foucault argued that anthropology enabled a vast extension of the scope of possible knowledge predicated on the falsely modest pretense that human understanding is inherently limited, even as it embraced a diminished conception of human existence. Third, Foucault developed a pointed critique of contemporary psychology and psychiatry, maintaining that they fallaciously seek to acquire positive knowledge of human beings, despite the fact the latter are inherently defined by what Foucault called “negativity.” This three-pronged interpretation of the young Foucault allows us to better situate Foucault’s work in intellectual history, to clarify his key arguments, and to grasp the articulation of his youthful and his mature thought.

Beyaz Kale Kitabının Hegel'in Efendi-Köle Diyalektiği Yaklaşımı ve Gustav Freytag’ın Freytag Piramidi Eşliğinde İncelenmesi

In this article, The White Castle by Orhan Pamuk is studied through Gustav Freytag’s Freytag’s Pyramid, and the climax points are located. Throughout the study, the vitality of these climax points is discussed, and argued the extent to which they contribute to the narrative. Determining the climax points of the novel strengthens the analysis done regarding this novel and can reshape the consensus formed in the literature about this book. However, before applying the concept of ‘climax’ to the narrative, an intense literature review was utilized. Therefore, the climax points found through employing Freytag’s Pyramid are measured against the pre-set criteria in the literature about climax points in academic works. This approach eliminated the presence of subjectivity in the study. As an outcome of this research, it is found that the climax points can be the times where the author strengthens his implications towards the notion that Hoca and Kole are creating a dual personality. This way, the criticisms lying beneath the relationship between Hoca and Kole about East and West emerge. It is deduced that the everchanging dynamics between them unveil a means of analysis from a Hegelian perspective. Additionally, the everchanging dynamic unveils the climax points, which are the points that they embody a single individuality, unable to carry on existing without one another.

Becoming and Beyond: Applying Goethe’s Progressive and Retrogressive Metamorphosis to Fanny Hensel’s Piano Sonatas

Abstract Over the last decade, Janet Schmalfeldt’s concept of “becoming” has provided groundwork to evaluate how ambiguous formal moments gradually come into focus through the practice of retrospective reinterpretation. I supplement Schmalfeldt’s Hegelian perspective with concepts drawn from Goethe’s botanical studies to propose a type of becoming that is not limited to retrospective reinterpretation but instead embraces gradual thematic transformations that can function either progressively or retrogressively. Using Fanny Hensel’s piano sonatas as case studies, I explain how the two categories of progressive and retrogressive metamorphosis are fitting metaphors to describe gradual thematic transformations within Romantic-era composers’ works that resist formal prototypes.

Dialectical Materialisms, Metabolic Rifts and the Climate Crisis: A Lacanian/Hegelian Perspective

Metabolic rift theory has been accused of assuming an untenable ontological dualism between nature and society. In response, two of its leading advocates, John Bellamy Foster and Andreas Malm, have tried to argue that the approach is not dualist but rather rigorously realist, nonreductively naturalist, and dialectically materialist. According to Foster and Malm, metabolic rift theory is essential because it enables eco-Marxism to make an analytic distinction between nature and society while nevertheless grasping their complex interrelation. From a Lacanian and Hegelian perspective, Foster and Malm are right to preserve the dialectical distinction between nature and society but their respective accounts of this dialectic are insufficiently materialist. Foster falls into a pre-Marxian contemplative materialism. Malm hesitates between his intended realism and Kantian idealism. For metabolic rift theory to be put on a firmer materialist footing, nature must be thought along Lacanian and Hegelian lines as incomplete, thwarted, or shot through with antagonisms out of which emerge the subject and society. To put this in dialectical terms: ontologically there is only nature, out of which society and the subject emerge as an effect of nature's failure to be fully natural.

The past in the present: experience of structural-semantic analysis of the image of Lady Destiny in Hegel's "Phenomenology of Spirit"

This article explores the Hegelian concept of cognition of the history of culture reflected in the “Phenomenology of the Spirit” in the image of Lady Destiny. Therefore, the author offers a new translation version of one of the fragments of Hegel's “Phenomenology of Spirit”, which is of fundamental importance for understanding the message of the work and its structure. Special attention is given to the Hegelian perspective on historical cognition, peculiarities of the language of “Phenomenology of Spirit”, and the role of imagery in describing the “experience of consciousness”. The author substantiates the statement that recognition of the universal correlations and integrity of history serves as the prerequisite for its comprehensibility. The article indicates the dependence of the developed by Hegel concept of nature and purpose of the philosophy on his doctrine of historical consciousness. A detailed analysis is conducted on the image of Lady Destiny and its role within the conceptual structure of the “Phenomenology of the Spirit”. The author describes the role of this image in the Hegelian concept of cognitions of the history of culture, analyzes the place of imagery means in describing the experience of consciousness, adjusts the traditional representations on the nature and peculiarities of the system of Hegel's philosophy. Emphasis is placed on the importance of personal aspect in the Hegelian concept of historical cognition and it correlation with the central for Hegel’s philosophy intuition of history as a complete whole. The research employs a set of historical-philosophical methods, as well as comparative analysis of the historical-cultural phenomena. In translation of the Hegelian text, the author resorts to etymology for clarification of the available Russian translations.

Paradoxes of democracy: Rousseau and Hegel on democratic deliberation

In this article, I engage with what relevant literature addresses as the ‘paradox of democracy’ and trace it back to the dialectic between authorization and representation established by social contract theories. To make my argument, I take Rousseau’s Social Contract as a paradigmatic example of the paradox and analyse it in light of Hegel’s critical response. My aim is to show that, although Rousseau rejects the idea of representing the popular will, representation resurfaces in his Republic from top to bottom and engenders a structural opposition between citizens and rulers: drawing on the Hegelian scrutiny of contractarianism, I focus on three key moments in Rousseau’s theory, namely the Lawgiver, the majority rule and the executive power. After illustrating how the social contract undermines democratic participation in deliberative processes, I suggest that Hegel’s philosophy of right overcomes the paradox by positively assuming it as a dialectical contradiction that requires a specific constitutional approach to democracy. In this sense, I argue, the Hegelian perspective on democratic deliberation helps us to better frame Rousseau’s ambition to conceive the Republic as a free community of equals and urges us to elaborate a more coherent understanding of participation in a pluralistic society.

Forgiveness education from an Hegelian perspective

ABSTRACT Although school is an ideal location for teaching forgiveness because it mediates between the family and society, forgiveness education has been relatively neglected in schools. Most research and pedagogical models on forgiveness education to date are based on the psychological perspective which is individualistic in nature. Although empirical support for effectiveness of these models has been found, the individualistic foundation of these models ignores the collective aspect of forgiveness and forgiveness education. Hegel’s philosophy provides insights that can complement the individualistic perspective. Hegelian philosophy suggests that forgiveness enables mutual recognition to occur and the collective human consciousness to progress to higher stages of development in a dialectical manner. This paper proposes the major elements for forgiveness education from an Hegelian perspective that complement existing theories, research and practice forgiveness education: the importance of narrowing the reality-virtue gap, the renunciation of self, mutual recognition, reconciliation, awareness of one's duty to others, and finally the use of language.

Habit and Mental Illness from an Hegelian Perspective

Hegel proposes cultivation of habit as one of the major cures for mental illness. According to him, habit not only involves embodiment and dexterity but also mental activities and ethical elements. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the types of habit Hegel prescribes for curing mental illness in his original works. A three-level framework comprising the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and spiritual levels is adopted, and results show that although Hegel points out that habit is ethical and spiritual in nature, in his discussions on mental illness Hegel makes the majority of references on habits that involves the body such as physical movement and laboring. Habits that belong to the interpersonal and spiritual aspects are relatively neglected. This paper proposes that habits in the interpersonal and family realms, habits that function in the transition from the subjective to objective spirit, and habits in the morality sphere, which are equally important in Hegel’s philosophy, should be taken into consideration in future research and interventions for mental illness.

La praxeología en los estudios del desarrollo (humano): lineamientos para una visión hegeliana

Aceptar la praxeología en Mises como método para predecirel desenvolvimiento del desarrollo humano es profundamentecontrovertido y no está exento de problemas analíticos ynormativos. La incapacidad para sustraerse de los llamados juicios autoevidentes se une al rechazo de aquellos elementos que condicionan como un todo su operatividad. Sometido a un concepto estrecho de bienestar (desautorizado para distinguir entre acción y actuación), queda invalidado para realizar comparaciones interpersonales, por lo que es desacreditado para asumir una teoría de justicia social que sea tanto imparcial como plural. El sistema hegeliano penetra, en cambio, con fuerza, pone orden y perfecciona la interpretación praxeológica de lo económico desde sus dimensiones operativa y normativa.

Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity perceived from a Hegelian Perspective

Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity perceived from a Hegelian Perspective

Death education from an Hegelian perspective

This paper discusses death education from an Hegelian perspective, with the aim to generate insights to complement existing literature on death education. Three Hegelian elements are identified. The first is the natural view, that is, death is a natural phenomenon. The second is the moral view, that is, death is significant in contributing to the ethical life and no individuals have the right to end their own life. The third is the ontological view, that is, the life-and-death struggles for recognition raises individuals’ consciousness, and death transforms the divine into universal and enables the ultimate realization of the spirit to Absolute Knowing.

Second Language Learning as Habit Formation from a Hegelian Perspective

This paper proposes that the Hegelian conceptualization of habit that differs from the traditional ones is able to resolve the tensions between the mechanistic behavioral and social interactional views on second language (L2) learning. Hegel treats habit as comprising dexterous habit and ethical habit or customs. In the 1970s L2 learning was regarded as formation of mechanistic habit. With L2 researchers’ increasing awareness of the social nature of L2 learning, the behaviorist view was dismissed and was replaced by socio-cultural theories. There is a more recent “social turn” in L2 learning research which puts an even stronger emphasis on social interactions in L2 learning. Hegel’s dual-nature conceptualization of habit not only can resolve the tensions caused by the antagonistic behavioral and social perspectives on L2 which has been existing among L2 researchers but also offers new agenda items for L2 learning such as reflectiveness, morality, and self-feeling reduction and regulation functions of L2 learning. Hegel’s views on morality can also balance the monolingual perspectives on culture learning prevailing in the L2 field.

Kierkegaard’s Aesthete in Either/Or: Using Hegelian Mediation in Everyday Life

Abstract This paper discusses how Kierkegaard’s aesthete in Either/Or’s “Diapsalmata” and “Rotation of Crops” attempts to apply Hegel’s principle of mediation to everyday decision-making. This paper has two main goals: First, it provides an in-depth analysis of exactly how the aesthete’s approach to decision-making follows the dialectical pattern of Hegelian mediation. Second, it argues that even though the aesthete meets with unfortunate results, the aesthete cannot be so easily dismissed. The aesthete’s Hegelian perspective is still relevant to daily life because it provides an insightful view into how we ourselves sometimes approach decisions and cope with the difficulty of making decisions.

The Dialectics of Free Energy Minimization

Karl Friston’s free energy minimization has been received with great enthusiasm. With good reason: it not only makes the bold claim to a unifying theory of the brain, but it is presented as an a priori principle applicable to living systems in general. In this article, we set out to show how the breadth of scope of Friston’s framework converges with the dialectics of Georg Hegel. Through an appeal to the work of Catherine Malabou, we aim to demonstrate how Friston not only reinvigorates Hegelian dialectics from the perspective of neuroscience, but that the implicit alignment with Hegel necessitates a reading of free energy minimization from the perspective of Hegel’s speculative philosophy. It is this reading that moves beyond the discussion between cognitivism and enactivism surrounding Friston’s framework; beyond the question whether the organism is a secluded entity separated from its surroundings, or whether it is a dynamical system characterized by perpetual openness and mutual exchange. From a Hegelian perspective, it is the tension between both positions itself that is operative at the level of the organism; as a contradiction the organism sustains over the course of its life. Not only does the organism’s secluded existence depend on a perpetual relation with its surroundings, but the condition for there to be such a relation is the existence of a secluded entity. We intend to show how this contradiction—tension internalized—is at the center of Friston’s anticipatory organism; how it is this contradiction that grounds the perpetual process of free energy minimization.