Thursday, February 12, 2009

After the much needed re-re-read

OK, this is my understanding of what Hegel is saying, please correct me where I have strayed.

Passions of the individual are a good thing, that is when those passions are acted on that events take place. Those events that have been acted on become the World History. That the World History inevitably nears the culmination of freedom as determined by the Spirit.

-I would argue that the Spirit is indeed in every individual just as it is in the will of the state, because individual passions can create, alter, or destroy the state. This however would mean that if I had built the chair and the essence of the chair would become a part of me simply because I have built it. However, if every individual is a part of the state and embody the state, and the state and the Spirit are conspirators then, as a representative of the state, the individual would also be a representative of the Spirit. (Yes, no, maybe?)-

It appears that whether 'good' (jazz) or 'bad' (Holocaust) passions are in existence and acted on the world history will always move in a manner that will fulfill the goals of the Spirit. Passions that result in 'bad' events are acceptable, or even encouraged because it forces passions that result in 'good' to arise and expunge those passions that result in 'bad' events. The most catastrophic event that we thought of was the Holocaust which we all agree happened (except for some far out members of the world including a Catholic bishop) and was horrendous, however it served to enlighten the people of the world about the gross stupidity and fallacy of thought and social structures grounded in basis of ethnic superiority.

Having managed to explain all events in the world as being governed by Reason and striving towards the goal of history which is, the Spirits consciousness of its freedom as well as the actualization of that very freedom. I understand this to mean that the individual hungers and thirsts for freedom whether conscious or not and will strive to gain that freedom for themselves and will work to spread that freedom in the world like cream cheese on a bagel.

Hegel says,"every human is free by virtue of being human, and that the freedom of spirit comprises our most human nature". I want to know what freedom means to Hegel, and if he sheds light on this anywhere in the text please enlighten me or if anyone has separate thoughts on freedom. An attempt: freedom is the availability for the individual to act as they wish to act, think as they wish to think, believe as they wish to believe, all in accordance with Reason because after all, Reason is the law of the universe. Reason guides actions more often then not and as a result would guide the history, present, and future.

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