"Know When to Fold 'Em"
"Know When to Fold 'Em"
What a three-hour podcast about Hegel taught me about self-directed learning
Some lifelong-learners make plans. They lay out the things they wish to learn in the manner of a multi-course banquet, so that enjoyment of each dish prepares them for pleasures yet to come. Others take a haphazard approach, acquiring skills and exploring ideas as problems, projects, and possibilities present themselves.
For the most part, I have taken the latter approach. As a result, I have filled the lumber room of my mind with a large number of questions, each of which awaits an opportunity for engagement. Thus, for example, while I have long wished to know more about Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and his place in the history of systematic thought, I have, until recently, had no particularly reason to jump into the deep end of his oeuvre.
From time to time, I dipped a toe into the wading pool of a related question, that of the influence of Herr Professor Hegel on the thought on Carl von Clausewitz.1 However, once I realized that the strongest argument for such influence rested on nothing more than physical proximity, I went looking for other places to swim.2
Recently, however, I discovered a lecture that both laid out the broad outlines of the philosophy of Hegel and traced its enduring impact on several successive waves of left-wing thought. Composed and delivered by James Lindsay, this four-hour talk enlivened many of the drives I made over the course of the last month or so. Better yet, it answered many of the questions about Hegel, his ideas, and his influence that had been accumulating in the back of my mind for the better part of five decades.
As a result of this experience, I came to the conclusion that further exploration of Hegelian philosophy promised little more than an idiosyncratic lexicon in which every term of art possessed a peculiar meaning. Thus, I decided that, as important as Hegel might be to devotees of Marx, Mao, and Marcuse, he had nothing more to offer me.
For Further Reading:
For the argument that Clausewitz and Hegel used the term ‘dialectic’ to mean very different things, see Peter Paret ‘Politics, and War in the Life of Clausewitz’ Journal of the History of Ideas (July - September 1968) page 408
For the argument that General von Clausewitz and the Hegelian who served under him must have spent a lot of time exchanging ideas, see Paul Creuzinger Hegels Einfluss auf Clausewitz [The Influence of Hegel upon Clausewitz] (Berlin: Eisenschmidt, 1911) page 8.
Concerning your first paragraph RE: Lifelong learning strategies:
My understanding of Hegel is that
Hegel would likely suggest a more dialectical approach to learning (but of course). This means that instead of starting with a rigid plan or simply exploring new topics randomly, learners should engage in a process of critical thinking and reflection. They should challenge their own assumptions, question the information they are presented with, and synthesize new ideas with their existing knowledge.
This approach to learning is reflected in Hegel's philosophy of history, which sees the world as developing through a process of conflict and resolution. Hegel argues that we can only understand the present by understanding its past, and that we can only create a better future by understanding the present.
Some textual quotes from Hegel that support this view of learning:
"The truth is the whole. But the whole is only the essence that completes itself through its own development." (Hegel, Science of Logic, p. 15)
"The dialectical method is a movement from the immediate to the mediated through the mediation itself to the immediate." (Hegel, Phenomenology of Spirit, p. 75)
"The process by which the Spirit comes to know itself is a dialectical process. It begins with an immediate knowledge of itself, but this knowledge is incomplete and inadequate. The Spirit then proceeds to negate this immediate knowledge and to seek a higher, more comprehensive knowledge of itself. This process of negation and synthesis continues until the Spirit finally arrives at a complete and adequate knowledge of itself." (Hegel, Lectures on the History of Philosophy, Vol. 3, p. 365)
In other words, Hegel believed that the best way to learn is to engage in a process of critical thinking and reflection, where we challenge our own assumptions, question the information we are presented with, and synthesize new ideas with our existing knowledge. This process of dialectical learning can help us to develop a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the world around us.
Here is an example of how a student might apply Hegel's dialectical approach to learning a new topic, such as the American Civil War:
The student would begin by gathering information about the Civil War from a variety of sources, such as textbooks, primary documents, and historical accounts.
The student would then critically evaluate this information, challenging any assumptions or biases that they encounter.
The student would then synthesize the information they have gathered into a coherent understanding of the Civil War.
The student would then reflect on their understanding of the Civil War, considering its implications for the present and the future.
Through this process of dialectical learning, the student would develop a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the American Civil War.
It's not to say that Hegel's approach is without setbacks and flaws, but it is interesting nonetheless. So yes, know when to fold 'em and when to put them to good use.
With finite time (and $$$ for books) we really do have to pick and choose what we study. There's no sense in reading a thousand-page tome for what can be surmised in a couple hours of lecture, especially when it will only really end up absorbed in the form of a few key points.