Verified Document

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…

Sources used in this document:
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
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Friedrich Engels Biography Friedrich Engels
Words: 5699 Length: 20 Document Type: Term Paper

This does not suggest that one assimilate the ideas of another without having first contemplated those ideas at length, rounded them with individual ideas, expectations, experiences and theories before adopting those ideas and holding the originator of the ideas as a source of ideological guidance. Engels is described by social researcher Dudley Knowles (2002) as a "Hegelian (20)." As mentioned earlier, Engels took a position in favor of Hegel when

Myth of the Cave ' Why
Words: 2081 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Existentialism takes the human subject -- the holistic human, and the internal conditions as the basis and start of the conceptual way of explaining life. Taking idealism From Descartes, Kant, and Hegel, then building upon it, existentialist thinkers strip away the external and look at questions that surround human existence, and the conditions of that existence, rather than hypothesizing or dreaming of different forms of being. Thus, the inward

Emmanuel Levinas Phenomenology Ethical Constructivism
Words: 5109 Length: 15 Document Type: Thesis

The metaphysical constructivists who are successful hardly take the truth of a substantive normative claim for granted. Transcendence In his phenomenological descriptions, Levinas used various accounts of transcendence to refer to the tradition and divergence of phenomenology in relation to Heidegger. His transcendences enacted the irreducible urge by oneself to get past the limitations of their social and physical states or conditions. Transcendence of the Other as described by Levinas is

Design Influences
Words: 2050 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Egyptian Hieroglyphics and Other Ancient Symbols on 18th, 19th and 20th Century Surface Pattern Design and Their Influences on Contemporary Design Hieroglyphics are a system of picture-writing, from the Greek, literally meaning "sacred carvings"; these symbols were used extensively on the walls of Egyptian tombs and temples, as well as columns and in written texts (Cavendish 1970). This paper will provide an analysis of the influence of Egyptian hieroglyphics and

Political Theory
Words: 1138 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Materialism: What does it mean in Marx? Marx's writings and philosophies extend through various disciplines of history, economics, political science, literature, philosophy, political economy, sociology and even - arguably - mathematics. There are several common strings throughout his writings, many of which we have explored this semester, but a constant beacon, a constant guideline, is Marx's concept of historical materialism. In historical materialism, economics is key. Economics has always motivated people

Feminist Interpretation of Aristotle and
Words: 3381 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Aristotle believed that human flourishing (NE: 12) is the definition of good. The mere presence of women in Congress suggests that voters rejected a man, but it is better to look at this not as the rejection of one (male or not), but as the result of human flourishing. This increased competition of more women pursuing what they feel is their own responsibility will result in more unemployment for men,

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now