Freedom and Tradition in Hegel

Thomas A. Lewis

Description

Freedom and Tradition in Hegel stands at the intersection of three vital currents in contemporary ethics: debates over philosophical anthropology and its significance for ethics, reevaluations of tradition and modernity, and a resurgence of interest in Hegel. Thomas A. Lewis engages these three streams of thought in light of Hegel’s recently published Vorlesungen über die Philosophie des Geistes. Drawing extensively on these lectures, Lewis addresses an important lacuna in Hegelian scholarship by first providing a systematic analysis of Hegel’s philosophical anthropology and then examining its fundamental role in Hegel’s ethical and religious thought.

Lewis contends that Hegel’s anthropology seeks to account for both the ongoing significance of the religious and philosophical traditions in which we are raised and our ability to transcend these traditions. Pursuing the implications of the integral role of practice in Hegel’s anthropology, Lewis argues for a more progressive interpretation of Hegel’s ethics and a “Hegelian” critique of Hegel’s most problematic statements on political and social issues. Lewis concludes that Hegel offers a powerful strategy for reconciling freedom and tradition.

This fresh interpretation of Hegel’s work provides a challenging new perspective on his ethical and religious thought. It will be of significant value to students and scholars in religious studies, philosophy, and political theory.

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Métaphysique
• Éthique et morale
• Philosophie de la religion
• Religious
• PHILOSOPHY
• Philosophie et théologie
• Morality
• Metaphysics
• Ethics

Informations

• Publié par: University of Notre Dame Press
• Date de parution: 12 mai 2005
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• EAN13: 9780268159726
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Freedom and Tradition in Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel ( 1770 - 1831 )
Courtesy of Art and Visual Materials, Special Collections Department, Harvard Law School Library
Freedom and Tradition in Hegel
Reconsidering Anthropology, Ethics, and Religion
THOMAS A. LEWIS
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
www.undpress.nd.edu
All Rights Reserved
Copyright 2005 by University of Notre Dame
Published in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lewis, Thomas A.
Freedom and tradition in Hegel : reconsidering anthropology, ethics, and religion / Thomas A. Lewis.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 978-0-268-15971-9 (paperback)
ISBN 978-0-268-03368-2 (hardcover)
1. Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 1770-1831. Vorlesungen ber die Philosophie des Geistes. 2. Liberty. 3. Tradition (Philosophy) 4. Ethics. 5. Religion-Philosophy. 6. Philosophical anthropology. I. Title.
B 2944. V 683 L 49 2005
193-dc22
2005002503
eISBN 9780268159726
This book is printed on acid-free paper .
This e-Book was converted from the original source file by a third-party vendor. Readers who notice any formatting, textual, or readability issues are encouraged to contact the publisher at [e-mail]
For my father
Contents
Acknowledgments
Primary Texts
Introduction
1 Developing toward Spirit: Logic, Nature, and Human Beings
2 Habit: The First Overcoming of Natural Determination
3 The I and the Individual
4 Pursuing Reconciliation: Theoretical and Practical Spirit
5 From Anthropology to Ethics (1): Theory and Practice
6 From Anthropology to Ethics (2): Tradition, Criticism, and Freedom
7 Equality, Differentiation, and the Universal Estate
8 Reconciling Tradition, Authority, and Freedom: Anthropology in the Philosophy of Religion
Postscript: Tragedy or Liberation?
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
I owe an immense debt of gratitude to many more people than I can name here. I first began exploring many of the questions driving this book while working with John P. Reeder, Jr., at Brown University. He continues to be a vital source of critical feedback, support, and wisdom. At Stanford University, Lee Yearley shaped my interest in the significance of philosophical anthropology for ethics. With consistently penetrating comments, he challenged me to explore these issues in a variety of thinkers and to connect them to my work on Hegel. Van Harvey was an irreplaceable source of discerning commentary as well as a superb teacher of nineteenth- and twentieth-century religious thought. Debates with him continue to provide my model of intellectual engagement. I am profoundly grateful to these two individuals, from whom I continue to learn so much. During my time at Stanford, I also profited greatly from courses and conversations with Alice Bach, Rudy Busto, Arnold Eisen, Timothy P. Jackson, Debra Satz, Brent Sockness, and Eckart F rster-in whose course I began to appreciate Hegel.
My understanding of Hegel was profoundly enriched by work with Walter Jaeschke and Michael Theunissen at the Freie Universit t zu Berlin. They were generous in meeting with me at length, allowing me to visit their courses, and reading drafts. Professor Jaeschke first directed my attention to the Vorlesungen ber die Philosophie des Geistes . Most importantly, they have served as exemplars of what it means to study Hegel.
My colleagues at the University of Iowa supported the project with advice and enthusiasm. Diana Cates and David Klemm were not only outstanding conversation partners but also models of excellent scholars who are also good human beings. My students taught me about Hegel and much else; I am extremely grateful to them. An Old Gold Fellowship from the University of Iowa allowed me to spend the summer of 2000 back in Berlin working on the manuscript.
A year as a visiting fellow at the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University provided an ideal setting in which to complete substantive revisions to the manuscript. Jeffrey Stout was influential in shaping the project well before then. During that year he provided not only outstanding conversation and feedback but also invaluable counsel. I am deeply grateful for his careful reading of the manuscript. Cornel West provided inspiration as well as insightful responses to drafts of core chapters. Eric Gregory, Rolf-Peter Horstmann, Timothy P. Jackson, John Kelsay, and J. B. Schneewind each made important contributions to the project.
Conversations with new colleagues at Harvard University have played a crucial role in the final shaping of the book. I am particularly indebted to Francis Sch ssler Fiorenza, David Hall, and David Lamberth.
I am grateful to Stephen Crites and an anonymous reader for the University of Notre Dame Press, as well as to the Press s editorial staff. David Charles was meticulous and thorough in checking my citations and translations.
Finally, a special thanks to Antonia Kastendiek, James Murdoch, Stephen Wilson, Mark Berkson, Jonathan Schofer, Aaron Stalnaker, and the Hegel Arbeitsgruppe , especially Miriam Wildenauer and Olivia Mitscherlich. Without the help of Giles Milhaven and Stanley Wiggs many years ago, this work would have never been started. I feel gratitude of a higher order to my mother and sister. For sound judgment, critical advice, and steady support, I am more grateful than I can express to Despina Stratigakos.
Primary Texts
In citing Hegel, I have made use of previously published translations when available yet have altered these as I have deemed appropriate. Because these alterations are at points extensive, I have not noted them; I therefore take final responsibility for the translations.
Except as otherwise noted, texts are cited by the page number in the German text followed by a slash and the page number in the English translation if available. Within quotations, italics are Hegel s unless otherwise noted.
BP
The Berlin Phenomenology . Translated by Michael J. Petry. Bilingual ed. Dordrecht and Boston: Reidel, 1981.
ERB
ber die englische Reformbill. In Werke 11 , 83-128.

The English Reform Bill. In Hegel s Political Writings , 295-330. Translated by T. M. Knox. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1964.
Enz .
Enzyklop die der philosophischen Wissenschaften (1830). Werke 8-10 . Cited by paragraph ( ) number. Remarks are indicated by an A [ Anmerkung ] and additions by a Z [ Zusatz ].

The Encyclopaedia Logic: Part I of the Encyclopaedia of Philosophical Sciences with the Zus tze . Translated by T. F. Geraets, W. A. Suchting, and H. S. Harris. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1991.

Hegel s Philosophy of Nature . Translated by Michael J. Petry. 3 vols. London; New York: George Allen and Unwin and Humanities Press, 1970.

Hegel s Philosophy of Mind: Being Part Three of the Encyclopaedia of Philosophical Sciences (1830) . Translated by William Wallace and A. V. Miller. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1971.
GW
Gesammelte Werke . Rheinisch-Westf lische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Hamburg: Felix Meiner Verlag, 1968-.
PhG
Ph nomenologie des Geistes. Werke 3 .

Phenomenology of Spirit . Translated by A. V. Miller. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1977.
PR
Grundlinien der Philosophie des Rechts. Werke 7 . Cited by paragraph ( ) number. Remarks are indicated by an A [ Anmerkung ], additions by a Z [ Zusatz ], and Hegel s marginal notes by an N.

Elements of the Philosophy of Right . Translated by H. B. Nisbet. Edited by Allen W. Wood. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
PSS
Hegel s Philosophy of Subjective Spirit . Translated by Michael J. Petry. 3 vols. Bilingual ed. Dordrecht and Boston: Reidel, 1978.
RphI
Vorlesungen ber Naturrecht und Staatswissenschaft . Edited by C. Becker et al. Vorlesungen, vol. 1. Hamburg: Felix Meiner Verlag, 1983. Cited by paragraph ( ) number.

Lectures on Natural Right and Political Science . Translated by J. Michael Stewart and Peter C. Hodgson. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1995.
Rph II
Vorlesungen ber Rechtsphilosophie: 1818-1831 . Edited by Karl-Heinz Ilting. Vol. 1. Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt: Frommann-Holzboog, 1973.
Rph III
Philosophie des Rechts: Die Vorlesung von 1819/20 in einer Nachschrift . Edited by Dieter Henrich. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp, 1983.
Rph V
Vorlesungen ber Rechtsphilosophie: 1818-1831 . Edited by Karl-Heinz Ilting. Vol. 3. Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt: Frommann-Holzboog, 1974.
Rph VI
Vorlesungen ber Rechtsphilosophie: 1818-1831 . Edited by Karl-Heinz Ilting. Vol. 4. Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt: Frommann-Holzboog, 1974.
VG
Die Vernunft in der Geschichte . Vol. 1 of Vorlesungen ber die Philosophie der Weltgeschichte . Edited by Johannes Hoffmeister. 6th ed. Hamburg: Felix Meiner Verlag, 1994.

Lectures on the Philosophy of World History: Introduction: Reason in History . Translated by H. B. Nisbet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975.
VGP
Vorlesungen ber die Geschichte der Philosophie. Werke 18-20 .

Lectures on the History of Philosophy . Translated by E. S. Haldane and Frances H. Simson. 3 vols. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 1995.
VPG
Vorlesungen ber die Philosophie der Geschichte. Werke 12 .

The Philosophy of History . Translated by J. Sibree. Revised ed. New York: Willey Book Company, 1944.
VPGst
Vorlesungen ber die Philosophie des Geistes . Edited by Franz Hespe and Burkhard Tuschling. Vorlesungen, vol. 13. Hamburg: Felix Meiner Verlag, 1994.
VPR
Vorlesungen ber die Philosophie der Religion . Edited by Walter Jaeschke. Vorlesungen, vols. 3-5. Hamburg: Felix Meiner Verlag, 1983-85.

Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion . Translated by R. F. Brown, P. C. Hodgson, and J. M. Stewart. Edited by Peter C. Hodgson. 3 vols. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1984-87.
Werke
Werke . Edited by Eva Moldenhauer and Karl