Umut Eldem

In The Phenomenology of Spirit, Hegel discusses how human beings have come to know things, including themselves. The Phenomenology of Spirit serves as an introduction to Hegel's philosophical system, which continues with logic, philosophy of nature, and ethical and political philosophy. Hegel tries to work out how our knowledge of particular things and the relations between them presupposes what he calls “force.” For Hegel, understanding force is like catching a thread or stumbling upon a road to what he calls “Absolute Knowledge,” the understanding of Geist. Unlike gravity, in Star Wars the Force's influence is apparent in relations between living creatures. Stephen Houlgate's poignant interpretation of Hegel's Geist is useful for a social interpretation of the Force in Star Wars. Hegel's philosophy has brought us closer to Yoda, who has a deep understanding of reality thanks to his extensive knowledge of the Force and how it binds everything and everyone together.

In this article, we argue that the animated TV-show Rick and Morty depicts several important and relevant themes about the impact of technology in contemporary societies. By using certain concepts and ideas from the philosophy of technology, especially from thinkers like Jacques Ellul, Jacques Derrida, Neil Postman, and George Ritzer, we investigate how this show brings to the fore certain ontological and ethical assumptions and problems that stem from the advance of technology. We shall use the term technopolitical thinking to refer to these core assumptions and principles which are inherent in contemporary technological societies. By providing various examples from certain episodes and scenes of the show, we shall illustrate how this animated series can provide a basis for a more extensive discussion.

In this paper I provide a detailed account of Kant’s conception of conscience in order to answer a significant question that has recently arisen in the secondary literature: How should we understand Kant’s insistence on the infallibility of conscience? Som e commentators have tried to make sense of the claim by suggesting that conscience is a special kind of moral judgment, while others have argued that it is a kind of feeling. My contention is that neither option is helpful in comprehending why and how Kant develops his ideas about conscience in this specific and peculiar way. I argue that the appropriate way to understand this conception is to establish its broader significance for Kant’s moral philosophy, together with his understanding of human moral agen cy.