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Philosophical Haiku

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)

by Terence Green

Unfolding Reason
As Mind seeks to know itself
Freedom is Rational.

Hegel’s philosophical influence is out of all proportion to the actual value of his work, which just goes to show that writing a great deal of impenetrable prose can get you a long way.

As a young man, Hegel was initially an enthusiastic supporter of the French Revolution. Disillusioned by the failure of the revolution, Hegel determined to signal his profound sadness by never again writing in a way anyone could understand (okay, I’m speculating here, but there has to be some reason for his incomprehensible style).

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