The Philosophies of Georg Hegel and Herbert Spencer
The Philosophies of Georg Hegel and Herbert Spencer
The Philosophy of Georg Wilhelm Hegel (1770-1801)
Metaphysics
Georg Wilhelm Hegel aspired to find a philosophy that would embody all human experiences with the integration of not only science, but also religion, history, art, politics and beyond. Hegel's metaphysical theory of absolute idealism claimed that reality was the absolute truth of all logic, spirit, and rational ideas encompassing all human experience and knowledge.
He believed that in the history of philosophy, many sought to compete with each other's thoughts in order to find the one true and universal philosophy. But he also argued that each philosopher's views were integral to the development and growth of the truth. Hegel's principles were also founded on historicism; in order to fully understand any aspect of life, one must look past all superficial observations and understand the aspects' history and background.. Hegel's philosophies attempted to tie in these basic fundamentals with mankind's unending pursuit for the absolute truth to form a single unified system.
Epistemology Hegel was influenced by developing biological fundamentals in that organisms were interdependent upon each other and their environment making them all part of a hierarchy in life. He related this to society and human reason by believing that nothing could function in isolation and that everything and everyone was part of a larger whole: the Nation-State. He asserted that an individual's moral ideas would be identical to that of the Nation-State. Hegel believed in the assimilation of one's moral ideas and social ethics to the government's because it incorporated all political, economic, and social aspects of an individual's culture. Hegel's philosophy opposed rationalism in that instead of celebrating the independent, individual person, he believed that people had the need to become part of something larger beyond themselves. Political Philosophy
The Philosophy of Georg Wilhelm Hegel (1770-1801)
Metaphysics
Georg Wilhelm Hegel aspired to find a philosophy that would embody all human experiences with the integration of not only science, but also religion, history, art, politics and beyond. Hegel's metaphysical theory of absolute idealism claimed that reality was the absolute truth of all logic, spirit, and rational ideas encompassing all human experience and knowledge.
He believed that in the history of philosophy, many sought to compete with each other's thoughts in order to find the one true and universal philosophy. But he also argued that each philosopher's views were integral to the development and growth of the truth. Hegel's principles were also founded on historicism; in order to fully understand any aspect of life, one must look past all superficial observations and understand the aspects' history and background.. Hegel's philosophies attempted to tie in these basic fundamentals with mankind's unending pursuit for the absolute truth to form a single unified system.
Epistemology Hegel was influenced by developing biological fundamentals in that organisms were interdependent upon each other and their environment making them all part of a hierarchy in life. He related this to society and human reason by believing that nothing could function in isolation and that everything and everyone was part of a larger whole: the Nation-State. He asserted that an individual's moral ideas would be identical to that of the Nation-State. Hegel believed in the assimilation of one's moral ideas and social ethics to the government's because it incorporated all political, economic, and social aspects of an individual's culture. Hegel's philosophy opposed rationalism in that instead of celebrating the independent, individual person, he believed that people had the need to become part of something larger beyond themselves. Political Philosophy