Hangovers with Hegel

I woke up this morning with a hangover, and decided to continue reading my book on the philosopher, Hegel (August 27, 1770 – November 14, 1831)

Hegel definitely put together a voluminous master system. And of course, there is danger behind such attempts at being all-encompassing. Marx picked up and used his philosophy.

Hegel was a German philosopher in the tradition of Idealism. The mind is the only reality. It's opposite would be materialism, matter is the only reality. I don't quite understand how Marxism involves materialism when Hegel is an idealist.

I am generally against anything that further divorces the unity of mind and body, even against dualism. Hegel is definitely of value and interesting, however, and probably serves to counterbalance materialism.

My favorite parts are from the Phenomenology of mind (or spirit depending on translation). There are references to the "universal mind," reminiscent of the lyrics of the doors song, which makes me think Morrison read Hegel. During Hegel's journey tracing the history of consciousness, he finds that individual minds must realize they are part of the universal mind, and are not free insofar as they are dominated by desire and other coercion. This was reminiscent of William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) and the doors of perception. "When the doors of perception are cleansed, man will see things as they truly are, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through narrow chinks of his cavern."

My reading and commenting on Hegel is not to say that I am particularly aligned with his beliefs or ideas. In fact, the only reason I am even reading Hegel is to understand Kierkegaard's frequent references to him.

One potentially positive product of Hegel's thought would be the idea that people, or at least minds, are intimately connected. Which reminds me of Heidegger's being-with-others, and would seem to lead to corollaries with modern new age ideas of intention and visualization. But far from being mystical, Hegel is touting the virtues of reason.

On an interesting and related note, through watching Ken Burn's PBS special on the Brooklyn Bridge (completed in 1883 can you believe it?) I learned that Roebling, the German born designer of the bridge, "...studied under famous German philosopher George Hegel. Roebling became Hegel's protege, and completed a 2000 page treatise on his concept of the universe."
quote from Wikipedia entry on John Roebling.

The Illuminati and Simon Says

Simon says, "X is not for everyone."

Simon says:

• Home ownership is NFE
• College is NFE

Simon is entrenched and at the top of the hill. Simon's main job is to play king of the hill. Simon is the have vs the have-nots. Easy to stay on top with a large bankroll. You can survive the draw down and volatility and pay for utility bills and vacations by making 5% yields on your money.

Subprime clients and liar loans played a part in the crisis. Like putting unattended children before a bowl of candy. But the banks were entirely complicit. They took their fees and sold the mortgages off to Fannie and Freddie who were quasi-governmental entities. No need to worry about those bad loans once they are out of your pipeline. When the cat's away the mice will play. SEC is a joke. Likewise Fed, Treasury. No governmental regulation of the securitization of mortgages. Ratings companies not doing their jobs either.

The government may have had no business saying home ownership is for everyone, but Simon, you are showing your bare-naked ass when you proclaim things to be not for everyone.

The worker is worth his keep. And that includes putting the kids through school to get a better life, and keeping a roof over his family's head. A roof that isn't subject to rent increases, fraudulent keeping of deposit money, and the prospect of being homeless within 15-30 days, should the volatility (in employment, investments, costs) be too large for the meager bankroll of those of modest means.