Philosophy Lecture

Join us for a lecture by our President, Rob Olson, On the Philosopher Who Changed History: Meet Hegel.

What if history isn't simply a series of events, but a process with a direction and a logic of its own? That was the extraordinary—and controversial—idea of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, one of the most influential philosophers of the modern era. In this talk, we will meet the real Hegel behind the intimidating reputation. We will explore his revolutionary view that human history is a dynamic process driven by conflict, contradiction, and the struggle for freedom. Along the way, we will unpack Hegel's famous—and often misunderstood—idea of the dialectic, and ask what he meant when he described history as the unfolding of human freedom and self-consciousness. Most remarkably, Hegel's philosophy did not remain in the philosophy department. His ideas profoundly influenced Karl Marx, socialism, communism, nationalism, existentialism, and even later thinkers who rejected Hegel. Marx famously turned Hegel "upside down," while philosophers from Kierkegaard to Nietzsche and beyond defined themselves partly in opposition to him.

Admission is 5$
45 min lecture followed by 15 Q&A

Reach Jack Sezer at 361-443-8694 with any questions