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Philosophy In His Writings, Hegel Is Concerned Essay

Philosophy In his writings, Hegel is concerned about the concept of the Absolute. He provides many different definitions of the term Absolute. One of those definitions is that the Absolute is what people normally conceive of as God. However, the god of Hegel is not confined to the Judeo-Christian definition. Hegel's Absolute is pure mind and consciousness.

In Philosophy of Mind, Hegel defines the Absolute as both "mind" and "spirit" that inform a "supreme definition" of God (Mickelson). The Absolute is supreme and eternal. It is indivisible. As the word "absolute" suggests, it is not soluble; it does not dissolve.

As Scott puts it, "the Absolute is Spirit, and Spirit is Reality." Therefore, all reality can be explained by the understanding of the Absolute. Human beings exist only in relation to the Absolute, but the Absolute does not depend on any other entity or being for its self-definition or its existence. The Absolute is not, however, an entity. For Hegel,...

"The Absolute results from a process of becoming and developing itself," (Scott). This means that anything that is qualified as being Absolute is also completely independent. Although there is an Absolute (with a capital A), Hegel also refers to other types of absolutes (small a). For example, Hegel refers to absolute knowledge and absolute Idea (Michelson).
2. Hegel's definition of the Absolute allows the reader to formulate a concept of God that does not involve a deity. This is very important for atheists, who understand the power of the human mind but who also do not attribute that power to God. Hegel understands that human beings want to understand their place in the universe, which is why he studies phenomenology. However, Hegel does…

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Works Cited

The Encyclopedia of Marxism. Retrieved online: http://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/a/b.htm

Mickelson, Carl. "Hegel Glossary." Retrieved online: http://www.class.uidaho.edu/mickelsen/texts/Hegel%20Glossary.htm

Scott, Alex. "Hegel's Phenomenology of Mind." Retrieved online: http://www.angelfire.com/md2/timewarp/hegel.html
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