Freedom and Tradition in Hegel: Reconsidering Anthropology, Ethics, and Religion

ISBN: 0268033684

Author: Lewis, Thomas A.

Condition: Used

Freedom and Tradition in Hegel stands at the intersection of three vital currents in contemporary ethics: debates over philosophical anthropology and its significance for ethics, reevaluations of tradition and modernity, and a resurgence of interest in Hegel. Thomas A. Lewis engages these three streams of thought in light of Hegels recently published Vorlesungen ber die Philosophie des Geistes. Drawing extensively on these lectures, Lewis addresses an important lacuna in Hegelian scholarship by first providing a systematic analysis of Hegels philosophical anthropology and then examining its fundamental role in Hegels ethical and religious thought.Lewis contends that Hegels anthropology seeks to account for both the ongoing significance of the religious and philosophical traditions in which we are raised and our ability to transcend these traditions. Pursuing the implications of the integral role of practice in Hegels anthropology, Lewis argues for a more progressive interpretation of Hegels ethics and a Hegelian critique of Hegels most problematic statements on political and social issues. Lewis concludes that Hegel offers a powerful strategy for reconciling freedom and tradition.This fresh interpretation of Hegels work provides a challenging new perspective on his ethical and religious thought. It will be of significant value to students and scholars in religious studies, philosophy, and political theory.