Hegel: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

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My interest i Hegel, which isn't great, is more an interest in Marx. Hegel is not a favorite, but to understand Karl it may be necessary to understand Georg. I grew up on Hegel and Marx. My father was a far left winger who was crushed by the failure of Communism and the unending life of the church. If my mother hadn't forbidden it my first words would have been "Religion is the opiate of the people." You understandably have no interest in my family--very dull indeed--so on to our study for this day. Where does this book fit in the study of philosophy or history for that matter. We can't cover every aspect of Hegel's thought here, not am I able to, so let's pick on Religion. "Orthodox religion is . . . a brrier to the goal of restoring man to a state of harmony, for it makes man subordinate his own powers of thought to an external authority (page 9)." Hegel was according to our author an adherent to the Lutheran religion. He has been mistaken as a humanist in religion, but it is too simple a designation for a certainly complex man. A person who thinks cannot be fitted into an easy mold. Hegel is no different. We as humans like our heroes and villains to be all of one or another thing, it makes life so much simpler, as the saying "ignorance is bliss" and thinking is hell. If you are a thinking person welcome to HELL.