Hegel

My interest i Hegel, which isn't great, is more an interest in Marx. Hegel is not a favorite, but to understand Karl it may be necessary to understand Georg. I grew up on Hegel and Marx. My father was a far left winger who was crushed by the failure of Communism and the unending life of the church. If my mother hadn't forbidden it my first words would have been "Religion is the opiate of the people." You understandably have no interest in my family--very dull indeed--so on to our study for this day. Where does this book fit in the study of philosophy or history for that matter. We can't cover every aspect of Hegel's thought here, not am I able to, so let's pick on Religion. "Orthodox religion is . . . a brrier to the goal of restoring man to a state of harmony, for it makes man subordinate his own powers of thought to an external authority (page 9)." Hegel was according to our author an adherent to the Lutheran religion. He has been mistaken as a humanist in religion, but it is too simple a designation for a certainly complex man. A person who thinks cannot be fitted into an easy mold. Hegel is no different. We as humans like our heroes and villains to be all of one or another thing, it makes life so much simpler, as the saying "ignorance is bliss" and thinking is hell. If you are a thinking person welcome to HELL.

Peter Singer's clarity is astonishing. This Very Short Introduction is a great read, and so is the one he wrote on Marx. I wish he'd write more of these books, thy're a great way to get to know the basics on these thinkers without spending too much time on it.

Probably not very many people will plunge into Hegel on their own, and most of those will quickly plunge back out. As Bryan Magee said, "His writing is almost uniquely obscure -- it positively repels the reader...One can read page after page of Hegel, racking one's brains and thinking: 'What the HELL does he mean?'" Hegel may just be one of those writers best approached through the secondary literature -- at least you will come away with something. Even if you intend to take the plunge, a preparatory introduction seems like a smart idea. I can't imagine a better warm-up than this little book by Peter Singer. It is a model of clear writing, and I have no doubt that Singer is superb in the classroom. He has taken a good deal of trouble to organize the book so that the reader is carefully shepherded along, step by step, through the ideas and arguments. It gives you the feeling of being in a seminar with a master teacher who really, really wants you to understand the material. This is a true introduction, not a once-over synopsis, a careful job in every sense of the term. Highest recommendation.

Perhaps some readers do not like Hegel nor Hegelian philosophy. However, it was through reading this brief but informative book, that I came to a much better general understanding of Hegel's intriguing views. Singer really does an outstanding job of explaining complex and frustrating texts to the non-philosopher. Singer's writing is very clear and concise.

This little volume is a surprisingly good introduction to the thought of a very difficult philosopher, well deserving of inclusion in the fine _Past Masters_ series. I say 'surprising' because people who know Singer only from his own contentious views in favour of abortion, infanticide, and 'animal rights' may not realise that he actually *is* capable of holding responsible opinions when he tries. In fact this carefully planned little work is extremely lucid and thoughtful, well worth the attention even of people who disagree with Singer's own egregious and absurd ethical outlook.