Re-reading the views of contemporary commentators on Hegel's philosophy of religion

Kheyri, Mohammad

doi:10.22096/ek.2024.2008465.1522

Re-reading the views of contemporary commentators on Hegel's philosophy of religion

Document Type : Research Article

Author

Mohammad Kheyri

Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Mofid University, Qom, Iran.

10.22096/ek.2024.2008465.1522

Abstract

Hegel explicitly declared that the subject of philosophy is the same as that of religion, namely, God. This raises a fundamental question: if the subject of philosophy is religion, does Hegel believe in the superiority of religion over philosophy in a pre-Kantian manner and understand philosophy within the framework of Christian understanding, or vice versa? Each commentator has provided a different answer to this question, and the issue of this article arises from these differing opinions. Reflecting on this issue prevents us from methodological confusion when reading Hegel's religious views due to these interpretations. Therefore, we strive to categorize the interpretations while examining the reasons for the differences in the commentators' views. Subsequently, we analyze them, highlight their similarities and differences, and explain the methodology of each. Finally, we endeavor to demonstrate the necessity of preserving the plurality of interpretive paradigms through their various possibilities and rationalities. In this way, we explain that seeking reconciliation between interpretations is fundamentally unnecessary. Each interpretation leads to a new encounter and a novel answer to problems, and any judgment to prefer one interpretation over another is inherently based on criteria and presuppositions that have no intrinsic preference over one another.

Keywords

Hegelian philosophy of religion

metaphysical interpretation

non-metaphysical interpretation

mystical interpretation

Subjects

Continental philosophy

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