047 - Is There a Method to Hegel's Philosophy? No. And Yes.
Episode description
Does Hegel have in mind a systematic procedure, technique, process, or plan underlying his philosophy? Some say yes, others say no.
It is my belief that there is in fact a method; and it is the movement, the life, the evolution of thought itself. Hegel referred to this as dialectics. And his important notion of sublation plays a crucial role in dialectical thinking.
Some say Hegel's method develops as his logic unfolds, but that at the beginning of his Science of Logic Hegel's philosophy is presuppositionless. While this is true in a certain sense this beginning is also the result of a sublation of immediate consciousness and reason. So the dialectic is there at the beginning. If there is a "method" in Hegel's philosophy it is this.
This episode explores what Hegel has to say about this in detail.