The Cunning of Geist

All technological advances involve extensions of the human body/mind, argued Marshall McLuhan. As such, no matter how disruptive a breakthrough may be, it is based on our own consciousness and its needs. Hegel knew that a primary motivator in life is recognition. But how is this need met in the interconnected world of the Internet? We see this in the profound shift occurring today from individual recognition to group recognition. According to McLuhan, this is due to the electronic revolution overturning the individualistic orientation of the previous print/visual left brain society and moving to (returning to) the more acoustic right-brain tribalism, which is found in today’s electronic “global village,” where group recognition becomes paramount. This podcast episode explores.  Support the show

History is a key element of Hegel’s philosophy. Although he called history a “slaughter-bench,” he believed it to have purpose. This purpose, which can only be recognized after the fact, is greater freedom. This episode traces the increase in human freedom from the totem ritual of the prehistoric primitive horde through the male genetic bottleneck in the agrarian revolution to the Hegelian “knot” in liberal democracies. This knot, which needs to be worked out, is more prominent today than ever. It is when individual and identity group demands come in conflict with principles that uphold the state.    Support the show

Hegel called true infinity “the chief maxim of philosophy.” This episode will review how finitude alone cannot be considered as reality, why traditional notions of infinity fall short, what Hegel’s true infinity actually means, that finitude and true infinity must be looked at together to fully grasp reality, and how this notion is truly miraculous in that our creative freedom is not entirely explicable by natural or scientific laws.  Support the show

The Hegelian Triad is perhaps the most recognized term associated with his philosophy. This is due to Hegel having shown reality to be dialectical, with three components. There is clear correspondence here to several mystical schools, including the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff, Rosicrucianism, and Kabbalah. And there is also the Christian Trinity. This episode will analyze the Hegelian dialectic with respect to these traditional teachings.  Support the show

This episode discusses how the Hegelian dialectic is a reflection of reality itself rather than a unique philosophical method used to understand reality.  It will show how common left-brain understanding (verstand) fails in comprehending dialectics by breaking it into three separate moments, rather than holistically seeing three inseparable sides of "every notion and truth whatever."   As Friedrich Engels points out, the dialectical process of the reality of the being is "the true significance and the revolutionary character of the Hegelian philosophy." Support the show

Alexandre Kojève called Hegel’s take on historical and natural time a “basic error.”  Kojève suggested three nested levels of time: historical, biological, and natural.  Did Hegel get it wrong?  The current episode explores this controversy in detail, including new evidence on whether the Big Bang was the actual start of natural time.  The Jewish Star of David’s mystical relationship to the dimensions of spacetime is also discussed.  Support the show

That a creation event occurred is central to Western religion.  Does Hegel endorse this position in his Philosophy of Nature? Opinions differ. This episode will analyze in detail, including professor Stephen Houlgate’s interpretation, as well as a review of what if any impact is seen from modern science and the Big Bang.Support the show

Hegel put upmost importance on the notion of human freedom.  It is the goal that history's progress is striving for.  This episode explores Hegel’s unique perspective on freedom, as well from the standpoint of time, scientific determinism, randomness, and quantum physics. Support the show

Hegel’s master-slave dialectic is one of the most famous passages in all philosophy.  In it, self-consciousness, recognition, and identity play a critical role.  Is the struggle historical?  This episode analyzes the narrative and includes reviews of Kojève’s and Fukuyama’s take on it.  Support the show

Anomalies within quantum physics and the nature of Time suggest that Mind may be fundamental to the Universe. Hegel would agree. This episode reviews the Hard Problem of Consciousness, the history of Panpsychism, and the structure of Kuhnian scientific revolutions. What's your paradigm? Support the show