The Freedom In Hegel's Philosophy

There are already many studies about the idea of freedom in Hegel'sphilosophy. My aim in this article is to reveal and focus the ontologicalmeaning of Hegel's idea of freedom. The freedom of man is the link ofthe self-actualization of ontological freedom.Thisarticle analyses thepricess in Hegel's demonstration on freedom:1. Demonstrating freedomby logic;2. The actualization of freedom presents two ways:one is'fromphilosophy of nature to philosophy of spirit', one is'philosophy ofhistory';3. The idea of freedom comes back to absolute spirit from history,and ultimately accomplishes its hightest form.Based on history of philosophy, This thesis is divided into five parts.The first part introduces the German Idealism philosophy thought offreedom in two sources. One is the idea of freedom in Rationalism andthe Medieval Theology . One is the idea of freedom in Empiricism. Thesecond part shows the idea of freedom in Kant's philosophy. Kant's ideaof freedom is the main subject which Hegel criticized in his philosophy.Through this study we can comprehend Hegel's idea of freedom. Thethird part discusses that Hegel demonstrated freedom by logic. The maincontent in the fourth part is the two ways of the development of the ideaof freedom in philosophy: One is from philosophy of nature to philosophy of spirit, one is philosophy of history. The fifth part continuesthe fourth, discussing that freedom can be absolute freedom only when itjumps out of history and comes back to absolute spirit. In the absolutespirit, the freedom can be actulized. Then, we comb the logical clue aboutthis article:In chapter one, I primarily points out the idea of freedom is thetheme of the times. In Hegel's life, the politics and religion are focusedby Hegel. The rationalism, medieval theology, and the empiricism are allabsorbed by Hegel. The idea of freedom of Hegel is the ontologicalfreedom ,and the individual freedom is the link of former.The second part primarily points out Kant's idea of freedom. Theontological freedom is the transcendental freedom. But the transcendentalfreedom is in the antinomy, so we can't recognize it. Kant considered thatthe free-will is the actualized of the transcendental freedom. Only in themoral field, the freedom can be established. But the freedom in moral isjust finite freedom, the freedom and the nature is in external relationship.So we need promote the free-will to moral theology field. In this area,morality and happiness can reach coincidence. After all, the idea offreedom in Kant's philosophy takes the finite man as the starting point, sohis idea of freedom is finite freedom.The third part primarily points out Hegel criticized Kant's finitefreedom. Trying to demonstrate freedom through logic,Hegel considered that Kant's philosophy was the philosophy of consciousness, and thelogic in Kant's philosophy was intellectuality logic. So Hegel need tochange both of sides: change the philosophy of consciousness intophilosophy of logic; change the intellectuality into reason logic. And then,we can demonstrate the idea of freedom, not just setting this concept inKant's philosophy.The fourth part primarily points out the free absolute spirit is notonly logic , and to externalization itself. So the idea of freedom expressesitself as nature. In nature, the idea of freedom develops from lower stageto higher stage, the highest stage is organic life. In this field, the freedomand the necessity become unified.From philosophy of nature to the philosophy of spirit is one way offreedom actualizing itself. In philosophy of spirit, absolute spirit comesback to pure thought area. The idea of freedom takes itself as his object.In the philosophy of spirit, Hegel divided three parts: subjective-spirit,objective-spirit, absolute-spirit. Spirit is'in-itself and for-itself'. Man'sself consciousness belongs to subjective spirit. On the subjective spiritstage, freedom embodied the boundless, this is a kind of personalsubjective freedom. Freedom and absolute spirit must actualize itself. Itenters the objective spirit level. Abstract law is free through externalobjects to confirm their existence; Entering the stage of moral, freedomcomes from external things back to their intrinsic resistance, from the subjective spirit as unfettered individual freedom to ascend into universalfree. But moral universality of freedom is just a subjective universality.We need to sublate the external objectivity of abstract law and moralityinherent subjectivity, and achieve the unity of the objective and thesubjective freedom. This is the ethical stage. In Abstract law or morality,its starting point is the individual, while ethics'starting point is the socialwhich embodied absolute spirit. In ethical world, family, society and state,are objective universal stage of free. The state is the highest stage ofethical world. Freedom is the embodiment of the entity and the specificunity, which represents the reality spirit. However, in reality the statereflects as a nation state, nation in different special spirit. The need todiscard these differences, absolute free oneself provides a temporal field,this is the history of the world.As from philosophy of natural to the philosophy of spirit, philosophyof history is another way to achieve the idea of freedom. The method ofphilosophy of history is the historical dialectics. That is the unity of theuniversality of absolute spirit as ultimate purpose and the particularity ofeach specific historical forms and human civilization and. The formerreflects the inevitability, the latter is the embodiment of freedom.Historical dialectics is the unity of necessity and freedom. According tothis method, Hegel divided the history into different stages: in the easternworld, absolute spirit and the external world are in abstract sameness stage. Freedom is'in-itself'-- only the monarch is free; In the Greek andRome world, absolute spirit entered the reflecting phase: or in the natureof things as form, or to abstract principles as form, free expression for"autonomy" -- some people are free; In the Christian Germanic world,absolute spirit is in perfect and mature state. It abandoned the abstractuniversality of eastern world and the particularity of Greece and Romeworld -- complete self-determination, and freedom shows itself as'in-itself and for-itself'--all is free. Freedom is the human's essence. Inthe history of the world, absolute spirit realizes their own absolutefreedom by human's historical activity. But its means is still external. Soit requires to actulize itself in a complete purity field; In another aspect,after all, history is finite field-- absolute spirit as the ultimate goal of thedevelopment of history, is the embodiment of human history continues toapproach, but never really accomplish. This is a "bad infinity". So itrequires absolute spirit jumps out of the history of the world, into purefield of the absolute spirit -- absolute spirit field.The fifth chapter discusses that in the absolute spirit field, the idea offreedom manifestations three ways: Art is the perceptual form of absolutefreedom. Using perceptual things to reflect the absolute freedom, isHegel's definition of art; art has three aspects -- symbolic art, classical artand romantic art-is the art of getting rid of the perceptual form. SoHegel's speculative metaphysics has artistic character. Religious and art from the external perceptual form return to inner unity. Perceptual formof limited and special was left out. This is the religious imagery way toembody the absolute freedom. The art of sensual forms and religiousrepresentation form is a limited form of absolute spirit -- and the contentdoes not match. In philosophy, absolute spirit to their own form ofcontent, form and content to the real unity. Hegel's philosophy is a systemOnly in the system, each limited links to link up. Absolute freedom canbe built up; philosophy of science is real science, not in the sense ofnatural science. Natural science abstract in the richness of human, andscience and technology become the Lord of life. Hegel returned to ancientGreece—attempts, and provide a unified interpretation of the wholeworld. Human and cultural aspects are unified into one organism, theorganism, the necessity and freedom to unify. So that Hegel's philosophyis the truth. Truth is the unity of objective and subjective, the unity ofform and content, finite and infinite. The uniform is just absolute spirit.Absolute spirit decide itself, and show itself. This is the absolute freedom.