Seminar 3: German Idealism and its Aftermath

German Idealism and its Aftermath: Philosophical and Poetic Reactions with Michael Pelias

Reading: Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. §23 – 48

Given the multiple Left, Liberal and Neo-conservative interpretations of German idealism in terms of the end(s) of history and or its new beginning, we will interpret the world historical spirit (1) in the light of the enlightenment (2) through a close reading of Hegel’s Phenomenology engage the contemporary world and its multiple variations. By thinking through the aftermath of the closure of Western philosophical thought and its meaning for the neo-liberal epoch, we will encounter some of the poetic responses to this closure and the attempts made philosophically to reorient thought. Authors read will include Kant, Hegel, Mallarme, and Rimbaud among others.