Hegel argues that the State constitutes the "march of God through history" while arguing that the individual is nothing and the individuals only means of freedom is achieved by obedience to the State. An analysis of this argument will show that it includes several major flaws. These flaws are in the form of arguments that contradict themselves and arguments that go against the laws of God. The final flaw is then realized by assuming that Hegel's philosophy is attainable and considering what the result would be if it was achieved. This shows that the end result would go against the very principles that Hegel begins the argument with, showing another major contradiction. Hegel's argument is that the State is God and that every citizen must surrender themselves to serving God and therefore surrender themselves to the State. This basic statement raises various questions, the first one being, 'why is the State God?' Hegel bases his argument for the State as being God, by arguing that God is the whole and the people must surrender themselves to the whole. According to Hegel, the State is the living God, the closest thing to God that can exist on earth. This is based on God as being universal and the State as being universal. The State impacts on everyone's life and every individual is part of it. Therefore, the State becomes the whole, the whole giving guidance to all individuals. The main problem with this argument is that the State is created by individuals. Hegel is arguing that the individuals means nothing and the State means everything. Yet, the State is not just created for individuals, but by individuals. If all individuals mean nothing, how could they create...
Individuals have to mean something to create the State, yet if this is true, Hegel's argument cannot be correct. This shows one of the major contradictions in Hegel's theory. Ultimately, the State is not something that exists and leads the people, it is something the people create and shape for themselves. This would mean that the people create God, but to say this is to go against God as the universal being.
Hegel In the conclusion to his chapter on "Perception," Hegel argues that since the "being-for-self' that is burdened with a 'being-for-another' [ ....] are essentially in a single unity, what we now have in unconditioned absolute universality, and consciousness here for the first time truly enters the realm of the Understanding" (Hegel 77). By this Hegel means that only by understanding the opposition of being-for-self and being-for-another that exists concurrently in
A favorite target for conspiracists today as well as in the past, a group of European intellectuals created the Order of the Illuminati in May 1776, in Bavaria, Germany, under the leadership of Adam Weishaupt (Atkins, 2002). In this regard, Stewart (2002) reports that, "The 'great' conspiracy organized in the last half of the eighteenth century through the efforts of a number of secret societies that were striving for
role of Islam as a unifying force Perhaps more than any other religion in the world, Islam has put to work its less obvious sense in order to unify the peoples sharing the same belief. Through its art, its common language and its judicial system that has the Koran teachings at its base, Islam was a unifying force among the Arabic peoples of the Arabic Peninsula, Northern Africa and the
While one must applaud a sentiment such as, "... success in such matters comes from having determined their own identity, recognized their own distinct strengths, and sharing those strengths with the world," one must also question the hint of ambiguity that this presents when related to a desire to break down cultural barriers and promote discourse. This concern comes from my own experience of the way in which most modern
(Eljamal; Stark; Arnold; Sharp, 1999) To conclude, it be said that if we will not be able to master imparting the capability to think in a developed form, our profession, as well as perhaps our world, would be influenced and taken over by someone who would be able to outsmart us to find it out. We would in that case not only remain thinking as to what happened but would
By the second night, a group of men had mutinied and attempted to kill the officers and destroy the raft, and by the third day, "those whom death had spared in the disastrous night […] fell upon the dead bodies with which the raft was covered, and cut off pieces, which some instantly devoured" (Savigny & Correard 192). Ultimately, the survivors were reduced to throwing the wounded overboard, and
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