Christopher Lauer | University of Hawaii at Hilo (original) (raw)
Uploads
Papers by Christopher Lauer
Idealistic Studies, 2006
While Hegel argues in the Phenomenology of Spirit's chapter on "Absolute Knowing" t... more While Hegel argues in the Phenomenology of Spirit's chapter on "Absolute Knowing" that we must see the necessity of each of spirit's transitions if phenomenology is to be a science, he argues in its last three paragraphs that such a science must "sacrifice itself" in order for spirit to express its freedom. Here I trace out the implications of this self-sacrifice for readings of the transitions in the Phenomenology, playing particular attention to the roles that space and time play in absolute spirit's externalization.
Journal of The British Society for Phenomenology, 2009
RefDoc Bienvenue - Welcome. Refdoc est un service / is powered by. ...
Research in Phenomenology, 2011
In this paper I argue that one of the most important impulses that structure Hegel's account of r... more In this paper I argue that one of the most important impulses that structure Hegel's account of religion is the need to show gratitude for the gift of creation. Beginning with the "Love" fragment and 1805-6 Realphilosophie, I first explore what it means to see God's relationship to spirit as one of externalization or divestment (Entäusserung). Then, relying on the Berlin Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion, I argue that Hegel takes Christianity to be the Consummate Religion because it not only offers its own divestment to match God's, but actually takes itself to participate in God's own divestment. This leads to a discussion of revealed religion in the Phenomenology, which, in contrast to simpler forms of religion such as the worship of luminous being (Lichtwesen), is able to conceive of a divine generativity in which spirit actively participates. I conclude by identifying two political implications of the centrality of divestment in Hegel's account. First, it means that, since Hegel takes Christianity to be unique in its representation of divine divestment, he cannot be a simple pluralist on religious truth. Second, Hegel's emphasis on divestment in his various accounts of religion helps set up his critique of sovereignty from the standpoint of philosophy or absolute knowing. While religion still clings to a vision of humanity as sovereign over nature, its origin in gratitude for creation proves to be incompatible with this vision.
Edinburgh University Press eBooks, Sep 22, 2021
Environment, Space, Place
This essay maintains that despite the pervasive racism of his writings, Schelling can nevertheles... more This essay maintains that despite the pervasive racism of his writings, Schelling can nevertheless contribute to an understanding of how to inhabit divine places such as the home of the goddess Pele on Hawai'i Island. First, his late Philosophy of Mythology shows how non-religious people can avoid the phenomenon explored by Jean-Luc Nancy of experiencing certain places as sacred and yet without gods. Second, Schelling's early speculative geology can help make sense of a local issue in environmental justice by articulating why the rupture of the earth can itself be seen as a form of divinity. And third, Schelling's conception of individuals as "co-poets" (Mitdichter) of nature has broad resonances with present-day scholarly receptions of traditional Hawaiian religion.
Comparative and Continental Philosophy, 2016
ABSTRACT This essay interprets Schelling's positive philosophy as an effort to conceive natur... more ABSTRACT This essay interprets Schelling's positive philosophy as an effort to conceive nature as a gift. Schelling ruminated throughout his career on the paradoxical relation between humanity and nature that is expressed in the contemporary term “Anthropocene,” but this essay argues that Schelling's most productive response to this paradox can be found in his reflections on how to receive the gift of nature. After laying out the project of positive philosophy, the essay first explores Schelling's effort to conceive nature as a gift in On the World-Soul, and then considers how this project founders in the First Projection of a System of Nature Philosophy. After the resources of the natural sciences showed themselves to be inadequate to the task of conceiving nature as a gift, Schelling returned to mythology in his late philosophy, and the concluding section of this essay traces how an often overlooked Epicurean strain in Schelling's late philosophy can help us see what is entailed in conceiving nature as a gift.
Environment, Space, Place, 2022
This essay maintains that despite the pervasive racism of his writings, Schelling can nevertheles... more This essay maintains that despite the pervasive racism of his writings, Schelling can nevertheless contribute to an understanding of how to inhabit divine places such as the home of the goddess Pele on Hawai'i Island. First, his late Philosophy of Mythology shows how non-religious people can avoid the phenomenon explored by Jean-Luc Nancy of experiencing certain places as sacred and yet without gods. Second, Schelling's early speculative geology can help make sense of a local issue in environmental justice by articulating why the rupture of the earth can itself be seen as a form of divinity. And third, Schelling's conception of individuals as "co-poets" (Mitdichter) of nature has broad resonances with present-day scholarly receptions of traditional Hawaiian religion.
Research in Phenomenology, 2011
In this paper I argue that one of the most important impulses that structure Hegel’s account of r... more In this paper I argue that one of the most important impulses that structure Hegel’s account of religion is the need to show gratitude for the gift of creation. Beginning with the “Love” fragment and 1805-6 Realphilosophie, I first explore what it means to see God’s relationship to spirit as one of externalization or divestment (Entäusserung). Then, relying on the Berlin Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion, I argue that Hegel takes Christianity to be the Consummate Religion because it not only offers its own divestment to match God’s, but actually takes itself to participate in God’s own divestment. This leads to a discussion of revealed religion in the Phenomenology, which, in contrast to simpler forms of religion such as the worship of luminous being (Lichtwesen), is able to conceive of a divine generativity in which spirit actively participates. I conclude by identifying two political implications of the centrality of divestment in Hegel’s account. First, it means that, since ...
Journal of the Pacific Association for the Continental Tradition (JPACT), 2018
Introduction to the first volume of the Journal of the Pacific Association for the Continental Tr... more Introduction to the first volume of the Journal of the Pacific Association for the Continental Tradition
In this paper I argue that one of the most important impulses that structure Hegel's account of r... more In this paper I argue that one of the most important impulses that structure Hegel's account of religion is the need to show gratitude for the gift of creation. Beginning with the "Love" fragment and 1805-6 Realphilosophie, I first explore what it means to see God's relationship to spirit as one of externalization or divestment (Entäusserung). Then, relying on the Berlin Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion, I argue that Hegel takes Christianity to be the Consummate Religion because it not only offers its own divestment to match God's, but actually takes itself to participate in God's own divestment. This leads to a discussion of revealed religion in the Phenomenology, which, in contrast to simpler forms of religion such as the worship of luminous being (Lichtwesen), is able to conceive of a divine generativity in which spirit actively participates. I conclude by identifying two political implications of the centrality of divestment in Hegel's account. First, it means that, since Hegel takes Christianity to be unique in its representation of divine divestment, he cannot be a simple pluralist on religious truth. Second, Hegel's emphasis on divestment in his various accounts of religion helps set up his critique of sovereignty from the standpoint of philosophy or absolute knowing. While religion still clings to a vision of humanity as sovereign over nature, its origin in gratitude for creation proves to be incompatible with this vision.
Idealistic Studies, 2006
While Hegel argues in the Phenomenology of Spirit's chapter on "Absolute Knowing" t... more While Hegel argues in the Phenomenology of Spirit's chapter on "Absolute Knowing" that we must see the necessity of each of spirit's transitions if phenomenology is to be a science, he argues in its last three paragraphs that such a science must "sacrifice itself" in order for spirit to express its freedom. Here I trace out the implications of this self-sacrifice for readings of the transitions in the Phenomenology, playing particular attention to the roles that space and time play in absolute spirit's externalization.
Journal of The British Society for Phenomenology, 2009
RefDoc Bienvenue - Welcome. Refdoc est un service / is powered by. ...
Research in Phenomenology, 2011
In this paper I argue that one of the most important impulses that structure Hegel's account of r... more In this paper I argue that one of the most important impulses that structure Hegel's account of religion is the need to show gratitude for the gift of creation. Beginning with the "Love" fragment and 1805-6 Realphilosophie, I first explore what it means to see God's relationship to spirit as one of externalization or divestment (Entäusserung). Then, relying on the Berlin Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion, I argue that Hegel takes Christianity to be the Consummate Religion because it not only offers its own divestment to match God's, but actually takes itself to participate in God's own divestment. This leads to a discussion of revealed religion in the Phenomenology, which, in contrast to simpler forms of religion such as the worship of luminous being (Lichtwesen), is able to conceive of a divine generativity in which spirit actively participates. I conclude by identifying two political implications of the centrality of divestment in Hegel's account. First, it means that, since Hegel takes Christianity to be unique in its representation of divine divestment, he cannot be a simple pluralist on religious truth. Second, Hegel's emphasis on divestment in his various accounts of religion helps set up his critique of sovereignty from the standpoint of philosophy or absolute knowing. While religion still clings to a vision of humanity as sovereign over nature, its origin in gratitude for creation proves to be incompatible with this vision.
Edinburgh University Press eBooks, Sep 22, 2021
Environment, Space, Place
This essay maintains that despite the pervasive racism of his writings, Schelling can nevertheles... more This essay maintains that despite the pervasive racism of his writings, Schelling can nevertheless contribute to an understanding of how to inhabit divine places such as the home of the goddess Pele on Hawai'i Island. First, his late Philosophy of Mythology shows how non-religious people can avoid the phenomenon explored by Jean-Luc Nancy of experiencing certain places as sacred and yet without gods. Second, Schelling's early speculative geology can help make sense of a local issue in environmental justice by articulating why the rupture of the earth can itself be seen as a form of divinity. And third, Schelling's conception of individuals as "co-poets" (Mitdichter) of nature has broad resonances with present-day scholarly receptions of traditional Hawaiian religion.
Comparative and Continental Philosophy, 2016
ABSTRACT This essay interprets Schelling's positive philosophy as an effort to conceive natur... more ABSTRACT This essay interprets Schelling's positive philosophy as an effort to conceive nature as a gift. Schelling ruminated throughout his career on the paradoxical relation between humanity and nature that is expressed in the contemporary term “Anthropocene,” but this essay argues that Schelling's most productive response to this paradox can be found in his reflections on how to receive the gift of nature. After laying out the project of positive philosophy, the essay first explores Schelling's effort to conceive nature as a gift in On the World-Soul, and then considers how this project founders in the First Projection of a System of Nature Philosophy. After the resources of the natural sciences showed themselves to be inadequate to the task of conceiving nature as a gift, Schelling returned to mythology in his late philosophy, and the concluding section of this essay traces how an often overlooked Epicurean strain in Schelling's late philosophy can help us see what is entailed in conceiving nature as a gift.
Environment, Space, Place, 2022
This essay maintains that despite the pervasive racism of his writings, Schelling can nevertheles... more This essay maintains that despite the pervasive racism of his writings, Schelling can nevertheless contribute to an understanding of how to inhabit divine places such as the home of the goddess Pele on Hawai'i Island. First, his late Philosophy of Mythology shows how non-religious people can avoid the phenomenon explored by Jean-Luc Nancy of experiencing certain places as sacred and yet without gods. Second, Schelling's early speculative geology can help make sense of a local issue in environmental justice by articulating why the rupture of the earth can itself be seen as a form of divinity. And third, Schelling's conception of individuals as "co-poets" (Mitdichter) of nature has broad resonances with present-day scholarly receptions of traditional Hawaiian religion.
Research in Phenomenology, 2011
In this paper I argue that one of the most important impulses that structure Hegel’s account of r... more In this paper I argue that one of the most important impulses that structure Hegel’s account of religion is the need to show gratitude for the gift of creation. Beginning with the “Love” fragment and 1805-6 Realphilosophie, I first explore what it means to see God’s relationship to spirit as one of externalization or divestment (Entäusserung). Then, relying on the Berlin Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion, I argue that Hegel takes Christianity to be the Consummate Religion because it not only offers its own divestment to match God’s, but actually takes itself to participate in God’s own divestment. This leads to a discussion of revealed religion in the Phenomenology, which, in contrast to simpler forms of religion such as the worship of luminous being (Lichtwesen), is able to conceive of a divine generativity in which spirit actively participates. I conclude by identifying two political implications of the centrality of divestment in Hegel’s account. First, it means that, since ...
Journal of the Pacific Association for the Continental Tradition (JPACT), 2018
Introduction to the first volume of the Journal of the Pacific Association for the Continental Tr... more Introduction to the first volume of the Journal of the Pacific Association for the Continental Tradition
In this paper I argue that one of the most important impulses that structure Hegel's account of r... more In this paper I argue that one of the most important impulses that structure Hegel's account of religion is the need to show gratitude for the gift of creation. Beginning with the "Love" fragment and 1805-6 Realphilosophie, I first explore what it means to see God's relationship to spirit as one of externalization or divestment (Entäusserung). Then, relying on the Berlin Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion, I argue that Hegel takes Christianity to be the Consummate Religion because it not only offers its own divestment to match God's, but actually takes itself to participate in God's own divestment. This leads to a discussion of revealed religion in the Phenomenology, which, in contrast to simpler forms of religion such as the worship of luminous being (Lichtwesen), is able to conceive of a divine generativity in which spirit actively participates. I conclude by identifying two political implications of the centrality of divestment in Hegel's account. First, it means that, since Hegel takes Christianity to be unique in its representation of divine divestment, he cannot be a simple pluralist on religious truth. Second, Hegel's emphasis on divestment in his various accounts of religion helps set up his critique of sovereignty from the standpoint of philosophy or absolute knowing. While religion still clings to a vision of humanity as sovereign over nature, its origin in gratitude for creation proves to be incompatible with this vision.