Draft copy of my review of Schelling's Philosophy: Freedom, Nature, and Systematicity, ed. G. Ant... more Draft copy of my review of Schelling's Philosophy: Freedom, Nature, and Systematicity, ed. G. Anthony Bruno. Forthcoming in Hegel-studien.
This paper outlines a reading of the Objective Logic that emphasizes Hegel's post-Kantian metamet... more This paper outlines a reading of the Objective Logic that emphasizes Hegel's post-Kantian metametaphysical aims. I defend two claims: (1) Hegel's Objective Logic reorganizes what Longuenesse has famously termed the "leading thread" that structures Kant's Table of Categories. (2) The aim of this reorganization is to demonstrate that the apparent reality of objects given in qualitative sensation must ultimately be explained by appeal to the notion of modal actuality-or, rephrased, that sense perception must be explained by appeal to the activity of thought. To start, I briefly sketch the understanding of Hegel's thought that serves as a backdrop for my reading of the Objective Logic. Next, I introduce Longuenesse's discussion of Kant's leading thread then, I lay out what Kant has to say about quality and qualitative synthesis following cues from Longuenesse's treatment of quantity. Finally, I discuss in detail two modifications that Hegel makes to Kant's leading thread: the primacy of qualitative determinations at the outset of the Objective Logic and the related discussion of actuality at the end of the Objective Logic.
In this paper, I argue for the inclusion of Simone de Beauvoir's feminist Hegelian thought under ... more In this paper, I argue for the inclusion of Simone de Beauvoir's feminist Hegelian thought under the heading of critical theory. I show that, beginning in The Second Sex, Beauvoir employs a methodological approach that shares an epistemic goal in common with Frankfurt School critical theory: namely, the rejection of a traditional theory of knowledge in favor of an historically contextual theory that is functionally directed at the transformation of a shared social world. I claim, further, that Beauvoir's critical method derives in large part from her Hegelianism: namely, from her understanding of the account of selfconsciousness in the Phenomenology of Spirit. I then show how Beauvoir's critical Hegelianism makes positive sense of her turn away from philosophy toward literature in the course of her career: contrary to those who see this as an intellectual failure on Beauvoir's part, I demonstrate that it is emblematic of her efforts to produce material social change.
This paper brings together twentieth-century Italian writer Alberto Moravia's novella Boredom [La... more This paper brings together twentieth-century Italian writer Alberto Moravia's novella Boredom [La Noia] and Hegel's account of finite cognition in the Philosophy of Spirit in order to inquire into the structural role that mood and attention play in the objective validity of our perceptions of the world. In Boredom, Moravia's narrator Dino finds himself afflicted with a chronic case of the title condition, which he describes as "a malady affecting external objects and consisting of a withering process; an almost instantaneous loss of vitality." I argue that Moravian boredom is not simply a contingent psychological situation. Rather, on my account, this affect describes a structure of mental intentionality, a propositional attitude, that reflects the social, political, and economic circumstances in which a judger is embedded. I draw on Moravia's descriptions of Dino's boredom and its consequences for his experience and actions in order to develop a broadly Hegelian account of the way in which subjective psychological states result from and bear on objective facts about the world.
Course Description: This class will survey the philosophical work of the twentieth-century Exist... more Course Description: This class will survey the philosophical work of the twentieth-century Existentialist thinker Simone de Beauvoir. Best known as the author of the landmark second wave feminist book, The Second Sex, de Beauvoir wrote extensively on topics in ethics, politics, and phenomenology. She also published several novels, one of which (The Mandarins) won the prestigious Prix Goncourt. Even so, the vast majority of de Beauvoir's work is rarely studied in either France or the United States. Our goal in this class will be to take de Beauvoir seriously as one of the most important philosophical thinkers of the twentieth century. We will aim to understand her intellectual program holistically, with emphasis on the way in which her Existentialist concerns informed her work in literature and feminism.
Handout that outlines a paper in progress. I argue that Hegel's Philosophy of Spirit account of e... more Handout that outlines a paper in progress. I argue that Hegel's Philosophy of Spirit account of empirical concept acquisition relies on Kant's account of empirical object acquisition in the Doctrine of Right.
Draft copy of my review of Schelling's Philosophy: Freedom, Nature, and Systematicity, ed. G. Ant... more Draft copy of my review of Schelling's Philosophy: Freedom, Nature, and Systematicity, ed. G. Anthony Bruno. Forthcoming in Hegel-studien.
This paper outlines a reading of the Objective Logic that emphasizes Hegel's post-Kantian metamet... more This paper outlines a reading of the Objective Logic that emphasizes Hegel's post-Kantian metametaphysical aims. I defend two claims: (1) Hegel's Objective Logic reorganizes what Longuenesse has famously termed the "leading thread" that structures Kant's Table of Categories. (2) The aim of this reorganization is to demonstrate that the apparent reality of objects given in qualitative sensation must ultimately be explained by appeal to the notion of modal actuality-or, rephrased, that sense perception must be explained by appeal to the activity of thought. To start, I briefly sketch the understanding of Hegel's thought that serves as a backdrop for my reading of the Objective Logic. Next, I introduce Longuenesse's discussion of Kant's leading thread then, I lay out what Kant has to say about quality and qualitative synthesis following cues from Longuenesse's treatment of quantity. Finally, I discuss in detail two modifications that Hegel makes to Kant's leading thread: the primacy of qualitative determinations at the outset of the Objective Logic and the related discussion of actuality at the end of the Objective Logic.
In this paper, I argue for the inclusion of Simone de Beauvoir's feminist Hegelian thought under ... more In this paper, I argue for the inclusion of Simone de Beauvoir's feminist Hegelian thought under the heading of critical theory. I show that, beginning in The Second Sex, Beauvoir employs a methodological approach that shares an epistemic goal in common with Frankfurt School critical theory: namely, the rejection of a traditional theory of knowledge in favor of an historically contextual theory that is functionally directed at the transformation of a shared social world. I claim, further, that Beauvoir's critical method derives in large part from her Hegelianism: namely, from her understanding of the account of selfconsciousness in the Phenomenology of Spirit. I then show how Beauvoir's critical Hegelianism makes positive sense of her turn away from philosophy toward literature in the course of her career: contrary to those who see this as an intellectual failure on Beauvoir's part, I demonstrate that it is emblematic of her efforts to produce material social change.
This paper brings together twentieth-century Italian writer Alberto Moravia's novella Boredom [La... more This paper brings together twentieth-century Italian writer Alberto Moravia's novella Boredom [La Noia] and Hegel's account of finite cognition in the Philosophy of Spirit in order to inquire into the structural role that mood and attention play in the objective validity of our perceptions of the world. In Boredom, Moravia's narrator Dino finds himself afflicted with a chronic case of the title condition, which he describes as "a malady affecting external objects and consisting of a withering process; an almost instantaneous loss of vitality." I argue that Moravian boredom is not simply a contingent psychological situation. Rather, on my account, this affect describes a structure of mental intentionality, a propositional attitude, that reflects the social, political, and economic circumstances in which a judger is embedded. I draw on Moravia's descriptions of Dino's boredom and its consequences for his experience and actions in order to develop a broadly Hegelian account of the way in which subjective psychological states result from and bear on objective facts about the world.
Course Description: This class will survey the philosophical work of the twentieth-century Exist... more Course Description: This class will survey the philosophical work of the twentieth-century Existentialist thinker Simone de Beauvoir. Best known as the author of the landmark second wave feminist book, The Second Sex, de Beauvoir wrote extensively on topics in ethics, politics, and phenomenology. She also published several novels, one of which (The Mandarins) won the prestigious Prix Goncourt. Even so, the vast majority of de Beauvoir's work is rarely studied in either France or the United States. Our goal in this class will be to take de Beauvoir seriously as one of the most important philosophical thinkers of the twentieth century. We will aim to understand her intellectual program holistically, with emphasis on the way in which her Existentialist concerns informed her work in literature and feminism.
Handout that outlines a paper in progress. I argue that Hegel's Philosophy of Spirit account of e... more Handout that outlines a paper in progress. I argue that Hegel's Philosophy of Spirit account of empirical concept acquisition relies on Kant's account of empirical object acquisition in the Doctrine of Right.
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