7/17/2008--a friend sent the following quote from Hegel's Philosophy of History:
The Secular power forsaken by the Spirit, must in the first instance vanish in presence of the Ecclesiastical [as representative of the Spirit]; but while this latter degrades itself to mere secularity, it loses its influence with the loss of its proper character and vocation. From this corruption of the Ecclesiastical element-that is, of the church-results the higher form of rational thought. Spirit once more driven back upon itself, produces its work in intellectual shape, and becomes capable of realizing the Ideal of Reason from the Secular principle alone. Thus it happens, that in virtue of the element of Universality, which have the principle of Spirit as their basis, the empire of thought is established actually and concretely. The antithesis of Church and State vanishes. The Spiritual becomes reconnected with the Secular, and develops this latter as an indepently organic existence. The State no longer occupies a position of real inferiority to the Church, and is no longer subordinate to it. The latter asserts no prerogative, and the Spiritual is no longer an element foreign to the State. Freedom has found the means of realizing its Ideal-its true existence. This is the ultimate result which the process of History is intended to accomplish...
Notice that the antithesis of Church and State vanishes in that the Spritual is no longer foreign to the State. Yet the State does not become the Church. Nor does the Church dominate the State.
Sounds like Hallowed Secularism.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
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