Hegel saw the Absolute metaphorically as a "circle of circles" (SL, pg. 842, Miller trans.).  He also said philosophy itself "forms a circle" (PR, Wood, ed.,  Nisbet trans., pg. 26, ¶2).Yet religions sees a creation event in our past, and modern science has embraced the Big Bang as the beginning of it all.  The universe is expanding and current theories show an eventual fizzle out into a "heat death."  Nothing will survive.  The end.  Full stop. Yet there is another scientific theory, proposed by Nobel prize winning physicist Roger Penrose, that suggests that this is all part of a cyclical process.  From the "death" of the finite universe a state of "infinity" will be reached and a new Big Bang will emerge.  Any correspondence here to Hegel's circle?  This episode explores.  Support the show

It is said that French philosopher Henri Bergson was the best known philosopher in his day during the early 20th century.  In fact, when giving a lecture in New York City, he caused the first traffic jam the city had ever seen.  Although presently he is less prominent, there was much reason for his positive perception back then in philosophy circles. His concepts of duration, intuition, élan vital, and memory took on the established determinism of the day.  And Bergsonism is just as relevant as ever, as unfortunately naturalistic materialism remains the solidly entrenched dominant position.  He was even one of the very few philosophers bold enough to broach the subject of comedy (Hegel also bravely ventured into this territory as well).  All this is reviewed in the current episode.  Plus some thoughts on Bergson by my comedian daughter Jacqueline. Support the show

To me, the goal of meditation is to escape the left-brain world of analyzing, breaking things down, either/or judgmental thinking, and to get in touch with life itself.   Thoughts tend to come to the foreground, but there remains a background.  In meditation, thoughts can be viewed like passing clouds in the sky, and the goal is to experience the sky, and not get hung up on the clouds. The notion of Being and Nothing is central to Hegel's philosophy.  And Hegel is clear - focusing on just "being" and not "nothingness" as well, misses the point.  Becoming is the truth, which contains both being and nothing as moments.  For Being to "be there" (determinate) it must contain both notions.   The goal of meditation is not to ignore or eliminate being, or thought.  It is just to spend some time each day to quietly sense the complete picture, both the sky and the clouds.   This episode explores meditation from this standpoint, with commentary on Buddhism as well, noting that equating Buddhism with a nihilism of pure nothingness is a mistake.  Support the show

"Becoming" is addressed very early in Hegel's Science of Logic.  And it provides a foundation for all that follows in his project.  But the concept of becoming is much more than an abstract philosophical term.  It is the foundation of growth, evolution, and all development processes.  Nietzsche recognized how important Hegel’s concept of becoming was.  Hegel of course preceded Darwin,  and Nietzsche knew that Hegel, with his notion of becoming, had planted the seed for the idea of evolution among European thinkers when he claimed “No Hegel, no Darwin” (Gay Science §357),  And Nietzsche goes on in same page to say that the notion of becoming, as a process of conceptual development, is a superior notion to just looking at "what is” in isolation.  This has direct correspondence to the left brain/right brain dichotomy discussed here so often.  As well as to the meanings of the German words "verstand" (common understanding) and "vernunft" (holistic reasoning).  This episode explores Hegel's notion of "becoming" from several standpoints. Support the show

"Good and evil" is a core philosophic and religious issue.  Perhaps the most important issue.  Where did this concept originate?  Why do we often see God, or Karma, as seeking  retribution and causing our misfortunes?The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is one of the oldest, if not the oldest myth out there to explain what is going on.  And there are two different takes on this.  Traditional religion says, in the Old Testament, that our eating of the forbidden fruit is the cause of our separation from God; and if one believes in the New Testament, Jesus was the reconciliation and now we were forgiven. But Hegel has a different interpretation.  This episode explores.  Support the show

Is it easier to do Sunday's crossword puzzle on Monday morning?  If so, the Collective Memory may be the reason.  Many believe minds are joined at a very deep level.  Hegel taught that "Substance is Subject."  Not only minds but matter as well.  But Hegel's project is more:  subject is also Spirit, and Spirit is an historical process.  Enter Memory.This episode explores memory from several standpoints in addition to Hegel 's - Plato's reincarnation and anamnesis, Jung's collective unconscious, Theosophy's Akashic records, and Rupert Sheldrake's morphic resonance.  Support the show

In the film "2001: A Space Odyssey," H.A.L., an artificial intelligence character, loses its mind and begins killing people.  Did H.A.L. act on his own accord?  Interesting question.Everyday we hear more and more how artificial intelligence programs will soon be the equivalent of human beings and perhaps even smarter.  Is this true?Some theorists believe Hegel's dialectical approach, when added to a computer's binary operation, can provide a degree of self awareness to the machine.  But is this true self-awareness or just simulated self-awareness?This episode explores these questions and more. Support the show

The Electronic Revolution has dramatically changed how the world receives and processes information.  The previous print revolution helped usher in the Enlightenment, the Scientific Revolution, nation-states, and individual rights through its emphasis on visual, linear thinking, i.e. left-brain thinking.However, the Electronic Age reintroduced the audio factor to mass communications beginning with radio.  This was followed by television bringing a return of both audio and visual in one package.  And this resulted in a step toward a nouveau-tribalism, harkening back to ancient tribal societies where the spoken word interacted with nature in one environment.The Internet added more fuel to the fire.  This has meant, among an increasing percentage of citizens, a loss of the ability to find much meaning in a big tent nation-state.  The fragmentation and specialization of media and politics has put identity groups, "tribes," as a driving force today in many places.  History has shown that tribal societies often fought brutally for recognition, and the new tribes are increasingly doing so today.  Hegel, a pre-electronic literary man of letters, foresaw this problem.  And I believe his speculative philosophy, one that recognizes identity within differences, with its focus on the whole (right-brain) as well as the parts (left brain) can provide a useful guide for these trying times.   Support the show

A question for the ages -  are we free?A recent survey of over 1,700 philosophers worldwide found that over 50% hold a compatibilist view, that both determinism and free will co-exist.  Hegel was a champion of freedom and made it the cornerstone of his philosophy.  He also recognized that much of our lives are also pre-determined.  In this episode I will argue that free-will  occurs in the present moment, where we have some degree of freedom to choose between alternative paths that we can envision.  Only humans have this capability of thought to look to the future.   Without  free-will, the universe becomes dead, with no purpose or no rationality behind it.   As Charles Peirce as well as Hegel have posited, this freedom is baked into the core of the cosmos itself.   The current episode discusses this important question from several different standpoints, including time, randomness, reason, purpose, and evolution.Transcript is available on the podcast's Facebook page, @cunningofgeist.Support the show

We all have experienced synchronicity, where causally unconnected events have a unique meaning to us.  Psychologist Carl Jung proposed that there was indeed an acausal connecting principle behind such occurrences. In fact, "meaning" may indeed be fundamental to the cosmos.  American philosopher C.S. Peirce believed it was so.  And Hegel did as well, epitomized by his famous dictum, "Substance is subject."  Even on an existential basis, many have argued that one must create their own meaning and purpose in life in order to thrive.  One such example is the best-selling book "Man's Search for Meaning" by psychiatrist Viktor Frankl about his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp and what he learned about survival. He developed a therapeutic approach called Logotherapy based on this.  This podcast explores this question from the persective of Jung, Peirce, Frankl, and Hegel. Support the show