We last left off with Hegel’s philosophy of history with the failure of the Aristocratic Age to produce universal freedom. If we recall, the Aristocratic Age, that age of great movement, creativity, and the arts, and the dialectic between the aristocrats and plebeians, failed because there was no notion that all men were equal. This … Continue reading Hegel’s Philosophy of History (4/4): The Age of Liberty and Moral Love
History
Hegel’s Philosophy of History (3/4): The Age of Aristocracy and the Struggle for Freedom
We last left off examining Hegel’s philosophy of history with the Hero, Orient, and religion. Now we move into the heart of Hegel’s Historicism: the movement from the orient to aristocracy. The movement to aristocratic governance is the next great moment in historical unfolding, but also posed many problems as Hegel makes clear in his … Continue reading Hegel’s Philosophy of History (3/4): The Age of Aristocracy and the Struggle for Freedom
Hegel’s Philosophy of History (2/4): The Role of Religion and Culture in History
Continuing with Hegel’s philosophy of history we will move into one of the most important, but often neglected, aspects of Hegel’s philosophy: the role of religion as the source of society and culture. Throughout his works, Hegel comments on religion, the power of religion, and the role of religion in society and shaping national character and spirit. … Continue reading Hegel’s Philosophy of History (2/4): The Role of Religion and Culture in History
Hegel’s Philosophy of History (1/4): The Age of Heroes and the Orient
Hegel is considered the father of History in some circles, or the father of Historicism. By History, rather than history, scholars and philosophers refer to History as Historicism – the notion that History is unfolding in its particular epoch toward an ultimate goal. History has a telos, it is moved by dialectical advance to its … Continue reading Hegel’s Philosophy of History (1/4): The Age of Heroes and the Orient
Ludwig von Mises’ Human Action: A Tale of Two Analyses
Human Action, originally published in 1949, is regarded as Ludwig von Mises’s magnum opus. The work is gripping and engaging, and its commentary is wide reaching. Mises intersplices his famous work of political economy and action theory (praxeology), where he considers economics as a sub-discipline of praxeology), with evolutionary science, philosophy, political commentary, and literature. … Continue reading Ludwig von Mises’ Human Action: A Tale of Two Analyses
Introduction to Plato: Oriental Platonism
Many people have likely come across the idea of Oriental Platonism? Oriental Platonism has a long history which is deeply intricate related to many factors: Aryanism, Indo-Europeanism, and other mystical anthropologies which rose to prominence in the late nineteenth century. While I will likely deal with this subject in fuller detail at some time in … Continue reading Introduction to Plato: Oriental Platonism
The Historical Imagination
One of the most interesting developments in the annals of history is the history wars. The history wars are wars over historiography; that is, historical interpretation. Historian Sean Wilentz tacitly condemns the destructive influence of literary criticism upon history, “English professors are at the head of the line, given the recent trend for literary critics … Continue reading The Historical Imagination
Augustine’s City of God, III: What was the Cause of Rome’s “Greatness” (Part II)
The Roman philosopher Cicero was the Plato and Aristotle of Rome. He was the foremost orator of his day and an important political philosopher who was cherished among Christians (and Augustine). Augustine even credits the writings of Cicero to helping him believe in God in Confessions. However, the warm remarks he gives to Cicero in … Continue reading Augustine’s City of God, III: What was the Cause of Rome’s “Greatness” (Part II)
Edward Gibbon’s Daughter: Catherine Nixey’s “The Darkening Age”
The Darkening Age is nothing new and is just the latest iteration of the now tired and decrepit Whig “Myth of Progress” which presents Antiquity in some amazing light, the “Christian Era” as the dark age, and that the light of Antiquity was rekindled in the Enlightenment. Anyone with even a elementary knowledge of philosophy, … Continue reading Edward Gibbon’s Daughter: Catherine Nixey’s “The Darkening Age”
