63 Quotes About Hegel

Hegel gives a fantastically elevated role to humans in his philosophy. They are carriers of unfolding divinity. They are the mirrors of God, providing an ever clearer and more radiant reflection of the divine.

It is striking that motivation plays virtually no role in Hegel’s theory of action, because Hegel’s theory of action in effect replaces motives with intentions or (internal) reasons. Instead of asking what psychic factors motivated me, Hegel asks for an explanation of my action in terms of the act-descriptions that supply the reasons I had for doing what I did.

customs must be introduced that require, if one is to be aware of their necessity and utility, either trusting belief or habituation from childhood on. Thus it is evident that a Volksreligion, if as the concept of religion implies its teaching is to be efficacious in active life, cannot possibly be constructed out of sheer reason. Positive religion necessarily rests on faith in the tradition by which it is handed down to us.

The literature on Hegel is fond of representing him as someone who had very particular ideas and opinions. That is not only false; Hegel would have found it embarassing.

As Karl Marx once noted: 'Hegel remarks somewhere that all great, world-historical facts and personages occur, as it were, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.' William Jennings Bryan and the Scopes trial was a tragedy. The creationists and intelligent design theorists are a farce.

Language teleologically seeks to express its most general form, to attain the universal. The universal language is unique. It is mathematics.

Hegel did not earn his reputation as a “difficult” philosopher for nothing. Yet no philosophy has ever been as magnificent, as ambitious, and as inspiring. Hegel showed how humanity and God are inextricably linked. He showed how it can truly be said that we can become God.

We will appeal to the highest aspirations of people, not their basest instincts. We seek to make all people into Gods, no matter how retarded, deluded and dumb they may be at the moment. We will transform their consciousness. When we are finished, it won’t be Hegel and Nietzsche who are unknown amongst the masses, but the vacuous celebrities.

Seule la totalite personnifie la verite. Neanmoins, la totalite represente simplement la nature essentielle parvenant a son etat complet au travers du processus de son propre developpement.Il doit etre dit que, fondamentalement, l'Absolu est un resultat, et c'est seulement a la fin qu'il represente ce qu'il est veritablement.