In his ''Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion'', [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegel Hegel] conceived [[national]] [[spirit]] as the inescapable “substantial [[foundation]]” of a people. This “substantial foundation” was a precondition for [[education]], the further [[development]] of [[consciousness]] and reflexivity, and the articulation of [[objective]] [[spirit]]. However, national [[forms]] of [[consciousness]] and [[identity]] were by no means ends in themselves. There is no [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleology teleology] here and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegel Hegel] never implied that the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussia Prussian] [[state]] marks the final '''''consummation''''' of [[political]] [[history]]. In fact, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegel Hegel] held a contrary and pessimistic position by 1820: that [[spirit]] had failed to [[actualize]] itself in Germany and that the leading edge of spirit's [[development]] lies beyond [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe Europe]. | In his ''Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion'', [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegel Hegel] conceived [[national]] [[spirit]] as the inescapable “substantial [[foundation]]” of a people. This “substantial foundation” was a precondition for [[education]], the further [[development]] of [[consciousness]] and reflexivity, and the articulation of [[objective]] [[spirit]]. However, national [[forms]] of [[consciousness]] and [[identity]] were by no means ends in themselves. There is no [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleology teleology] here and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegel Hegel] never implied that the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussia Prussian] [[state]] marks the final '''''consummation''''' of [[political]] [[history]]. In fact, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegel Hegel] held a contrary and pessimistic position by 1820: that [[spirit]] had failed to [[actualize]] itself in Germany and that the leading edge of spirit's [[development]] lies beyond [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe Europe]. |