Paul Cobben

In a meticulous commentary on the last three chapters of the _Phenomenology of Spirit_, which is carried out paragraph by paragraph, the logical structure of this work is analyzed. It is elaborated how this logical structure corresponds to the (shorter) logic of the _Enzyklopädie_. In einem akribischen Kommentar zu den letzten drei Kapiteln der _Phänomenologie des Geistes_, der Absatz für Absatz durchgeführt wird, wird der logische Aufbau dieser Arbeit analysiert. Es wird herausgearbeitet, wie diese logische Struktur der (kleinen) Logik der _Enzyklopädie_ entspricht.

In the history of Chinese and European philosophy, metaphysics has played an outstanding role: it is a theoretical framework which provides the basis for a philosophical understanding of the world and the self. A theory of the self is well integrated in a metaphysical understanding of the totality of nature as a dynamic process of continuous changes. According to this view, the purpose of existence can be conceived of as the development and realization of the full potential given to the individual by its nature. In regard to human nature specifically, this idea of self-realization includes the development of all cognitive faculties as well as of the moral character. Metaphysics has, however, suffered a loss of importance in current debates, especially in ethics. As a result, we observe the emergence of such philosophical views as moral skepticism and even nihilism. The consequence of this tendency has been the renunciation of a claim to understanding and to providing a solid ground for ethics. Yet an intercultural dialogue can provide us with some hope as the consolidation of debates on crucial topics of our traditions might indeed serve as the basis for a more powerful philosophy in the future

In a meticulous commentary on the first five chapters of the Phenomenology of Spirit, which is carried out paragraph by paragraph, the logical structure of this work is analyzed. The book elaborates how this logical structure is made explicit in the (shorter) logic of the Enzyklopädie der philosophischen Wissenschaften. This opens up access to two of Hegel's central works in a special way. First of all, it becomes clear in what way the Phenomenology of Spirit is a key to gaining access to the logic of the Enzyklopädie. But conversely, this logic also helps to gain a better understanding of the structure of the Phenomenology of Spirit. In einem akribischen Kommentar zu den ersten fünf Kapiteln der Phänomenologie des Geistes, der Absatz für Absatz durchgeführt wird, wird der logische Aufbau dieser Arbeit analysiert. Es wird herausgearbeitet, wie diese logische Struktur in der (kleinen) Logik der Enzyklopädie der philosophischen Wissenschaften explizit gemacht wird. Dies eröffnet in besonderer Weise den Zugang zu zwei zentralen Werken Hegels. Zunächst wird deutlich, inwiefern die Phänomenologie des Geistes ein Schlüssel ist, um Zugang zur Logik der Enzyklopädie zu erhalten. Umgekehrt hilft diese Logik aber auch, die Struktur der Phänomenologie des Geistes besser zu verstehen.

Calls for a more just international economic order are on nearly everyone’s lips today and there are probably not many people who are honestly convinced that the existing order is beyond suspicion. The globalized economy is criticised as unjust mainly on account of its social effects, that is to say, in the name of social justice. The question whether social justice can be achieved in a globalized world is still disputed in philosophical debates, however, while the definition of its adequate criteria gives rise to far-reaching controversies. As Peter Koller calls to mind, the idea of justice tends to a successive widening of its scope. In its original understanding, the concept applies to specific types of human action, such as the distribution of common goods, the performance of exchanges, and the correction of wrongdoings. In the course of modern history, it has been extended to more complex social arrangements, such as political organisations, social institutions, and legal practices. Around the turn of the twentieth century, it became common to talk about “social justice” in relation to entire societal orders. Currently, there is a further widening of the idea in regard to the global order, i.e., the growing discussion on “international and global justice”. While this expansion of the idea of justice reflects the need for adapting our common moral standards to an ongoing process of social change, it seems, however, to result in a loss of its clarity.

De milieuproblematiek staat pas sinds kort op de agenda als een fenomeen dat de mensheid bedreigt. Toch blijkt het negentiende-eeuwse gedachtegoed van Karl Marx verrassende inzichten te bieden om deze actuele problemen te duiden. Marx laat zien dat het menselijk ingrijpen in de natuur leidt tot zelfvervreemding: de mens ondermijnt zijn bestaan als een wezen dat zelf deel uitmaakt van de natuur. Deze zelfvervreemding cumuleert in de kapitalistische samenleving. Marx lezend zien we dat de milieuproblematiek geen historische vergissing is, maar fundamenteel samenhangt met de mens als redelijk wezen. Onze beheersingsrede heeft geleid tot de vervreemding van de natuur. Toch geeft dezelfde rede die de mens de vrijheid biedt zich boven het ecologische evenwicht te verheffen, hem de mogelijkheid zich te verzoenen met de natuur. Marx verwijst naar dit dubbele gezicht van de rede als hij stelt dat het 'rijk van de vrijheid' in de schoot van het kapitalisme wordt geboren. In dit boek onderzoekt Paul Cobben welke aanzetten de huidige samenleving biedt om vorm te geven aan de verzoening met de natuur. Paul Cobben is emeritus hoogleraar geschiedenis van de moderne filosofie aan Tilburg University. Momenteel is hij gastonderzoeker aan de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam en redacteur van de serie 'Critical Studies in German Idealism'. Van zijn hand verscheen o.a. 'Value in Capitalist Society. Rethinking Marx's Criticism of Capitalism' (2015)."-- Publisher information.

Habermas’s reception of Hegel’s and Marx’s thinking in Auch eine Geschichte der Philosophie According to Habermas, Hegel has contributed to the development of the paradigm of speech-philosophy insofar as he transformed Kant’s noumenal subject into a free subject that is related to the lifeworld. By interpreting the unity of the lifeworld by means of a philosophical conceptualization of the religious cultus, however, he re-introduces a metaphysical approach in philosophy. Habermas praises Marx because he made this metaphysical approach of the lifeworld undone. His economic determinism, however, cannot be reconciled with the free subject. Habermas’s Hegel-reception is criticized because it misunderstands Hegel’s attempt to conceptualize why it is possible at all to realize freedom in the lifeworld; his Marx-reception is criticized because it ignores that freedom for Marx is only the result of the communist revolution.

“The Ontological Status of the Company in the Re-Actualized Philosophy of Right.” This paper investigates under which conditions the self-conscious determination of the good life can be reconciled with the free market. Firstly, this means that the subjective autonomy is expressed in the system of the free market, thereby becoming part of a heteronomous law (the law of the market). Secondly, however, this market system may not be transformed into an independent alienated system, but must generate institutions that mediate the self-realization of the good life. Although Hegel’s “corporation” is meant as such a mediating institution, this concept has insufficient impact to avert the danger of an alienated (Marx) or colonizing (Habermas) free market. The normative conditions are elaborated that qualify companies for an adequate mediating role. The central problem is how to think the rationalization of the labor process in a way that no workers are excluded because they can be replaced by machines. Automation must not lead to expulsion, but rather to education of workers.