'Objective Mind in Hegel' was a 12 week evening school in the first semester of 2011.
Lecturer: Dr David Rathbone
Outline
This course is an introduction to the whole of Hegel's philosophy from the objective perspective. After first distinguishing this perspective from the subjective perspective on the one hand and the absolute perspective on the other, we shall focus on the objective aspect of Hegel's system, namely the histories of religion, of art and of philosophy, and, most importantly, his philosophy of law and its relation to custom, morality and the state. The "right" and "left" interpretations of Hegel shall be contrast not through extreme examples but rather through the only slightly left interpretation of Walter Kaufmann and the only slightly right interpretation of George Seidel. We shall also be dispelling some prevalent Hegel myths and considering Derrida's approach to Hegel along the way.
Week One: Introduction to Hegel - the subjective, objective and absolute perspectives
Weeks 2-3: The objective perspective subjectively - The Phenomenology of Mind chapter VI "(BB) Spirit" (Baillie translation pp.455-506, Miller tr. pp. 438-483)
Weeks 4-7: The objective perspective objectively - Hegel's Philosophy of Law
(Hegel's Philosophy of Right in Nisbet's tr. ed. Wood; my tr. as Philosophy of Law shall be supplied)
Weeks 8-10: The objective perspective absolutely - Encyclopedia ยง483-552
(Wallace's tr. as Hegel's Philosophy of Mind pp.241-291)
Weeks 11-12: Back to the beginning - two crucial early texts:
1. Hegel's System of Ethical Life (1802/3) and First Philosophy of Spirit (Part III of the System of Speculative Philosophy 1803/4) ed. & tr. by Harris & Knox
2. Natural Law: the Scientific Ways of Treating Natural Law, its Place in Moral Philosophy, and its relation to the Positive Sciences of Law tr. Knox
Secondary Literature
Kaufmann, Walter Hegel
Taylor, Charles Hegel
Seidel, George J., Activity and Ground
Stewart, Jon (ed) The Hegel Myths and Legends
Barnett, Stuart (ed) Hegel After Derrida
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