Anonymous said... I encountered your blog using google's blog search. As a high school student who's just scratching the surface of continental philosophy, it has been really useful. I've read a good chunk of Zizek, but if I were to try to read Hegel and Heidegger, where, in your opinion, should I start? Thanks September 22, 2007 12:04 PM
Mike said... Geez, what a question! For Heidegger, I'll copy on this blog a great 3 page reflection he has in his book The Phenomenology of Religious Life which is a great intro, so read that sometime (the rest of the book isn't as helpful for getting into Heidegger), but besides that a good place to start is "What is Metaphysics?" and "The End of Philosophy and the Task of Thinking," as well as just the very first few pages of the Intro to Being and Time--all of which can be found in the great cheap book Basic Writings edited by David Farrell Krell. There's a lot you can't understand at first, but my suggestion, as with Hegel, is just to skim widely so you get the feel for the thinking going on and the main issues he's raising. Only after you get that will something like Being and Time make sense.
As for Hegel, the Introduction (NOT the preface) to the Phenomenology of Spirit is a good place to start, probably after reading his early writing on "Love," which gives you a flavor of what he's working through (you can find the latter in The Hegel Reader). I also recommend reading (just) Kant's Introduction to his Critique of Pure Reason, which will give you a sense of what Hegel is reacting to. September 22, 2007 1:41 PM
going from Zizek to Hegel, I felt I was well-prepared to read Philosophy of Right. I read the Zizek book The Ticklish Subject which has a large first chapter on the transition from Kant to Hegel and the mistep as Zizek sees it that Heidegger took as he forgot or misinterpreted the transition between the two earlier writers. The second chapter also deals with very Hegelian topics, summarizing some work by Laclau in the framework of particular versus universal thought. I have only read Philosophy of Right so far by Hegel (translation from 1897 available on marxists.org) but will begin others soon. I want to offer this as an alternate answer to the question since I have something in common with the anon, though I admit maybe I haven't learned everything about Hegel so far. I picked the part that most struck me, and followed it to a very stimulating and satisfying conclusion. also btw, I've been building an article applying Hegel's State to the problem of policing/governing Palestine which is posted on my blogspot.
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