Hegel, Heidegger, and the Ground of History

by Michael Allen Gillespie

In this wide-ranging and thoughtful study, Michael Allen Gillespie explores the philosophical foundation, or ground, of the concept of history. Analyzing the historical conflict between human nature and freedom, he centers his discussion on Hegel and Heidegger but also draws on the pertinent thought of other philosophers whose contributions to the debate is crucial—particularly Rousseau, Kant, and Nietzsche.

Genres: Philosophy, History

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 1984

Reviews

[c]

A great examination of the thought of Hegel and Heidegger with respect to the question of the ground of history, one of the key concerns of post-Kantian European philosophy. A key theme here is how both Hegel and Heidegger deal with the problem of nihilism, and Gillespie insightfully shows how they both attempt to overcome nihilism through nihilism itself. However, it would seem that both attempts are futile. Hegel's attempts to arrive at a system of absolute knowing as a means to overcome nihilism is, to Gillespie, nothing but a momentary flicker amidst the dark night of nihilism, which seems to be the case if we recall the ending of the Phenomenology of Spirit. Heidegger, on the other hand, attempts to overcome nihilism through a kind of quietist waiting of some revelation of Being that would eventually overcome nihilism, which is a secularized version of the Christian waiting for the Second Coming at best and practically indistinguishable from nihilism at worst. Upon being faced with the apparent failures of these two giants in philosophy, we are, as always, called to the arduous task of thinking.

[Zoonanism · Rating 3 out of 5]

Infuriating

[William West]

A useful intro to the late thought of Heidegger.