#284 - Hegel on Being: A Dialogue with Stephen Houlgate
Dec 3, 2023
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Stephen Houlgate, expert on Hegel's Logic, discusses Hegel's views on Kant's Logic, categories of thought, Hegel and Heidegger on being, Hegel on objectivity, Nietzsche and Hegel on becoming, Dasein, Hegel and Frege on quantity, and linking Phenomenology of Spirit and Logic.
Hegel critiques Kant's Logic for lacking critical depth and interconnectedness of categories.
Hegel argues that thought and being are inseparable, challenging the division between them.
Hegel's concept of objectivity includes external existence, universality, and necessity.
Transition from becoming to determinate being exemplifies sublation and unity of being and nothing.
Hegel's exploration of quantity evolving from quality highlights the progression to determinate magnitude.
Deep dives
Hegel's Approach to Hegel's Logic Volumes
Steven Boulke, an expert in Hegel's logic, discusses the development of his two-volume work focusing on Hegel's logic. Boulke explains his motivation for diving into Hegel's intricate concepts and aims to shed light on the neglected yet crucial aspects of Hegel's logic. By delving into the volumes on quality, quantity, and measure in Hegel's science of logic, Boulke aims to present a distinctive reading that emphasizes Hegel's claim of thinking in a systematically presuppositionless manner. Through detailed studies of Hegel's logic, Boulke aims to introduce readers to a rigorous understanding of Hegel's thought beyond generic interpretations.
Investigating Hegel's Logic and Categories
The podcast delves into Hegel's critique of Kant's logic, emphasizing Hegel's belief that Kant's treatment lacks the depth needed to understand the fundamental structure of categories. Hegel argues that Kant's categorizations are not critically examined and that there's a need to reevaluate the relationship between categories like substance and negation. By highlighting the distinction between reality and negation, Hegel challenges the separate treatment of categories in Kantian philosophy, seeking a more interconnected understanding. Hegel's critical approach aims to explore the logical underpinnings of categories and their intrinsic connection to being.
Exploring the Relationship Between Thought and Being
The discussion navigates the nuances of the relationship between thought and being in Hegel's philosophy. Hegel's perspective emphasizes that thought and being are intricately linked, suggesting that stripping away being from thought reduces thought to a mere immediacy. Hegel's exploration of pure being and its connection to thought leads to a deeper understanding of how being informs thought processes. The podcast unpacks Hegel's stance that thinking inherently entails being and that the categories of thought align with categories of being. Hegel's philosophy challenges traditional views on the separation of thought and being, advocating for a holistic comprehension that integrates both elements.
Objective Approach in Hegel's Speculative Logic
The podcast delves into Hegel's concept of objectivity, highlighting three key dimensions: external existence, universality, and necessity. Hegel's view emphasizes that objectivity encompasses what lies outside of space, the universal and necessary nature of concepts, and the idea of the thing in itself. Hegel aims to foster a presuppositionless approach in philosophy, where objectivity is characterized by its alignment with necessary and universal categories. By exploring Hegel's speculative logic, the podcast prompts a deeper understanding of how objectivity is grounded in the constraints and inherent structure of thought processes.
The Role of Subjectivity in Kant and Hegel's Philosophies
Kant and Hegel consider the role of subjectivity in understanding objectivity. Kant grounds objectivity in the structure of transcendental perception, emphasizing that the concepts through which we think are structured by perception. In contrast, Hegel argues that categories are inherent in thought itself, not just perception, leading to a view where being is intricately linked with thought.
Transition from Becoming to Determinate Being in Hegel's Logic
In Hegel's logic, the transition from becoming to determinate being exemplifies sublation where becoming involves the vanishing of being into nothing and vice versa. This process leads to a unity of being and nothing where their purity is lost, illustrating how concepts evolve through their interrelations in Hegel's dialectical method.
The Connection Between Quantity and Quality in Hegel's Logic
Hegel's exploration of quantity deriving from quality showcases a progression from the one as qualitative unity, generating a continuity of discrete units in quantity. Quantity develops into determinate magnitude and numbers through relations like repulsion and attraction, leading to the manifestation of a ratio of powers where quantity serves as the groundwork for quality.
Understanding Infinity and Finite Being in Hegel's Philosophy
Hegel's philosophy delves into the interplay between infinity and finite beings, emphasizing that qualitative infinity can be exhibited by finite entities. Concepts like mutual recognition and love represent forms of qualitative infinity in finite beings, while quantitative infinity, such as squaring a number, showcases the qualitative essence expressed by finite elements. Hegel's dialectical approach reveals how finite entities manifest different aspects of infinity within the temporal and spatial constraints of the world.
Significance of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit and Speculative Logic
Hegel views the phenomenology as a preparatory work paving the way towards understanding the unity of thought and being in his speculative logic. While not integral to the logic, the phenomenology systematically examines various forms of consciousness, elucidating how they evolve and ultimately converge at absolute knowing. By engaging with the details and nuances of Hegel's logic, readers can unveil deeper insights into concepts like presuppositionless speculation, the dialectical interplay of quantity and quality, and the intricate relationship between infinity and finitude in Hegel's philosophical framework.
In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Stephen Houlgate on Hegel’s Logic and his philosophy of being. They discuss the main aims of Hegel’s Logic and the use of categories, why Hegel believed Kant’s Logic is not critical enough, categories of thought and natural kinds, and separating thinking and being. They discuss Hegel and Heidegger on being, Hegel on objectivity and being presuppositionless, and pure being, becoming, and nothing. They discuss Nietzsche and Hegel on becoming, Dasein, Hegel and Frege on quantity, differential calculus, linking the Phenomenology of Spirit and Logic, and many more topics.
Stephen Houlgate is professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick. He has his PhD from the University of Cambridge and his main interest is the work of Hegel. He has published numerous books, including the most recent two volume, Hegel on Being.