Hegel and the US Constitutional System, 200-years later

Hegel's Philosophy of Government and History (1822)

[Problem -- Reaction -- Solution]

(quote) "if a people [Deu = volk] can no longer accept as implicitly true what its constitution expresses to it as the truth, if its consciousness or Notion and its actuality are not at one -- then the people's spirit may be torn asunder. 

Two things may then occur:

·         First, the people may either, by a supreme internal effort, dash into fragments this law, which still claims authority, or it may more quietly and slowly effect changes on the yet operative law; which is, however, no longer true morality, but which the mind has already passed beyond. 

·         Secondly, a people's intelligence and strength may not suffice for this, and it may hold to the lower law; or it may happen that another nation has reached its higher constitution, thereby rising in the scale, and the first gives up its nationality and becomes subject to the other nation.

Therefore, it is of essential importance to know what the true constitution is; for what is in opposition to it has no stability, no truth, and passes away. It has a temporary existence but cannot hold its ground; it has been accepted but cannot secure permanent acceptance; that it must be cast aside, lies in the very nature of the constitution. [Hegel adds: "This insight can be reached through Philosophy alone."]

Revolutions take place in a state without the slightest violence, when the insight becomes universal; institutions, somehow or other, crumble and disappear, as each man agrees to give up his rights.

A government must recognize that the time for this has come; however, should it, to the contrary, knowing not the truth, cling to temporary institutions, taking what — though recognized — is inessential, as a bulwark guarding it from the essential (and the essential is what is contained in the Idea), that government will fall, along with its institutions, before the force of mind.

The breaking up of its government breaks up the nation itself; a new government arises, — or it may be that the government and the inessential retain the upper hand." (end quote)

G. W. F. Hegel (Germany, 1820s)

_________________________________________________________________________

In this year, 2020, immersed in the current crisis, there exists the perfect inflection point for our government to go through a "Hegelian" type, internal, philosophical, political, constitutional inventory: Problem - Reaction - Solution. Which way will it go? Are these questions rational or logical? How does the Hegelian paradigm work?

Deep concerns surfaced when I read Hegel and a few others, wondering about survival: will the intelligence and strength of our citizens be sufficient to seek and find their true course, will it become subject to another nation, or could it fall apart in order to make way for a new set of "essential institutions" which rise up and become a new kind of American government?

We all have a lot of time to think about these essential questions right now...

Massive change occurs naturally during holistic, governmental crisis, on the scale we're experiencing in the first half of 2020. Like an earthquake, the global pandemic and economic crisis opened a fracture in the earth and the ground shakes with panic. 

This is a philosophical discussion, not just economic speculation, and I'm not making any predictions. The fire is fed by fear, anxiety, and it's ignited by the various media sources fanning the flames. Our culture is not as resilient as the generation forced to fight WWII, and this uncertain interim period lacks the same moral debate of war, because of the mysterious, nebulous, viral enemy. I'm not an economist, nor an epidemiologist, and I realize that this is a complicated scenario; however this is not the rambling of a doomsayer.

Some in the US government are considering huge legislative changes, accompanying large infusions of cash into a broken economy. Chaos in a democracy always allows change-agents, and politicians the opportunity to shoehorn, or tack-on significant deviations from societal norms, while tinkering with the macro-economic challenges of an emergency. We've heard a lot of this already from Democratic candidates for President during the 2019-2020 election cycle. 

Congress is negotiating a gigantic fiscal stimulus package on Sunday, March 22, 2020, with sprawling legislation and billions of dollars of support; but what will be embedded inside the bill, and will this be the only one?

If the crisis extends 18-months or more, with total economic meltdown, it reaches into a zone in which capitalism is not designed to work. If government changes course, to a more liberal, socialist, strongly-regulated environment or direction, there are numerous areas where simple changes in the federal laws would bring about generational shifts.

If I were writing on a whiteboard, these would be the areas that come to mind:

• streamlined voting procedures (online and motor-voter laws)
• lessened immigration controls
• tightened gun-control
• internet free speech limited by federal agency
• universal basic income (cash for all)
• expanded welfare state to combat income inequality
• free, or pass/fail online university degrees
• government controlled healthcare (single-payor)
• elimination of electoral college
• criminal justice and "Bail" reform
• green "New Deal" legislation
• significant carbon taxes on fossil fuels
• restriction on oil & gas exploration & production in US
• legalization of many kinds of controlled substances
• de-militarization of federal government
• revised federal sentencing guidelines
• activist federal judiciary (changes in Article III)
• foreign policy/shifting alliances
• increased corporate responsibility via federal taxation
• 21st Century Bill of Rights very different than current one
  

These are just a few areas (not in any order) where a new government, elected for 2021, enacting numerous changes during a continued societal and economic crisis, spurred on by pandemic and economic collapse, could take advantage of an inflection point or a fork-in-the-road for the American Republic, forcing it to go in a very different direction.

I'm sure there are areas I've not mentioned, or cannot conceive; I'm not a federal expert, and merely an amateur philosopher. Also, this is not all-or-nothing, binary thinking; just a few of the zig-zags listed above could radically change specific sectors. Nevertheless, I'm reminded that the word "decision" comes from the Latin word dēcīdere literally, to cut-off; which tells me that these important decisions can have far-reaching consequences.

In a formal discussion of Hegel's "dialectal" pattern, one might argue even, that current problems facing the US government, give it a unique opportunity to exploit calamity, in order to offer solutions planned long before the current environment, wherein the people react by asking for government help, while giving up certain rights previously held? [Problem - Reaction - Solution - all a part of the plan?]

On the other hand, if Trump is re-elected, and the health contagion were to passover, these essential, "revolutionary" changes would likely not rise up and dominate. The government would stay on the course, probably, as it was from 2017-2020 in Trump's first term. Deep thoughts, as I contemplate which way it will go and what legislative changes could mean?

Predictably, a second term for the 45th President would surely tamp down these potential changes for another decade; retaining the same values that give current institutions the upper hand. The subsequent seven-months will tell how the next generation will run its government; it is a moment of truth which caused me to want to write, and hopefully discuss. At this unique time in history, Hegel came along to prompt the paradigm. Thanks George.  ##

©NoelleBuske (photograph)

©MarkPillsbury (opinions)

Radical by David Platt

Question posed on pp. 59-60 (Do we look to our own self-reliance, or do we recognize that our own good works and good intentions are flawed in such a way as to make things worse?) "On Our Knees"

http://books.google.com/books?id=lucPmT42h8cC&lpg=PP1&dq=radical%20david%20platt%20pdf&pg=PA59#v=onepage&q&f=false

Fictional account for Father's Day (or what Hamp and me talk about)

“Daddy, what’s a world-view?”

“What do you mean, Hamp?” he replied, as the wispy hot breeze blew through the car windows.

They idled at a stoplight on Westheimer, Houston’s version of the Sunset Strip, but with more car alarm/stereo shops than tattoo parlors. The weather was actually gorgeous for the wintertime, the week or two every year where is was just as nice here as in LA. Mark looked around the five-lane stoplight crowd and noticed they were the only Anglos waiting for green, in this multi-ethnic melting pot of opportunity fueled by the energy business and supported by massive immigration; Houston stood as an oasis of economic hope in an ocean of recessional despair--many of these commuters were here for one thing only and it wasn’t the weather.

“What that man just said on the radio, about his world-view?”

Hamp added, “Was he talking about what the astronauts see from space?”

“No, son, a world view is how somebody looks at life, sort of like your perspective from your car seat, or how I can see green through these sunglasses.” “Except a world view is deeper than that, really.”

“It means how somebody makes sense of the things that happen to them in their life, and when life goes on almost a hundred years, like say your mommy’s grandmother, Dean; humans see a lot, Hamp, and some of it makes no sense. Like when bad guys do well and there is no Spidey to take them down.”

“Kind of like whether they believe in the Force or not?!” Hampton questioned.

The light turned, but he went on, “You’re right, son, but the Force is in the movies, and a world view is in somebody’s heart.” “You know how the skeleton holds the body together and the muscles and flesh hold onto that?” he asked. “Well, a world view is deeply held inside, and different people grow up into their worldviews, just like a body grows bigger and taller, a lot of it is affected by how they are raised.”

After a quarter mile of silent driving eastbound toward the bright buildings of the Galleria, Hampton finally adjusted in his car seat and blurted out, “but do I choose the worldview, or does the worldview choose me?”

Mark almost hit the brakes to pull over. His son often made profound statements without prompting and it caused dad to feel almost reverent, even fearful, “Man that is a great question!” “Where do you come up with such great ideas son, I want to read what you’re reading?!”

Remember that Mexican hat I showed you from the big telescope picture of the Virgo galaxy, the one that is something like 55 million light years away from earth? How beautiful and majestic it is, and all we can compare it to is a lousy sombrero? [see photo above credit: Barthel/eso.org]

“I thought that was funny!” Hampton giggled.

“People say there is no use in studying what it is like to exist. Some only see what we have on the earth; they feel that we can make telescopes made out of glass that can see things far away, but all there is is the here and now: what we are walking upon, or this car, or the food we ate for breakfast; and when you die it all ends: the world just goes black.”

“What are those people called?” “You know son, forget about memorizing labels or calling people by –isms, just focus on what they think, who they are, and how they look at things, you will be able to keep it all straight when you get to college.”

“There's a world view where people think the human race is all there is; and some people believe that what we see and hear and are taught is only given to us at a particular time, like you did not choose to go to ROE; those folks think that all the stuff we learn is able to change based on time and place.”

He went on, “and some people hold that what is good for you Hampton, is good for you and just because you say it doesn’t mean a thing. What’s good for you is OK for you and what I think is good for me.” “That is said to be relative: like your relatives are yours and my cousins are mine!” Daddy was getting as tangled up as this traffic jam. “Hampton, I feel like you choose your world view. It doesn’t grab you.” “What do you think?”

"I think that sombrero galaxy is out there in space. We can see it! It wasn’t like a drawing in a book. But I can’t touch it, how do I know it is there 55 gillion light years away?" (This was an important intersection).

“How far is a light year, Hampton?” “I don’t know, a long long long way away!” he said. “How long does daddy usually run, when he gets to?” “4 miles” Hampton quickly replied. Do you see the difference? “Could we ever get to that Mexican hat? Even on a spaceship?” daddy pressed. “Probably not.” Hampton replied. “But I still believe it is there…”

“That is called Faith, Hampy” and that is also a world view. “Faith is being sure of something you hope for, convinced of it even though you don’t see it!” Hampton smiled, like he'd heard that before.

Do you think even if you studied real hard at Rice you would be able to find out how that beautiful galaxy was made, Hampton? “Nope.” He replied. “It’s too big, too old, too amazing!” “I would just have to know it’s there.”

“Hampton, who do you think made the whole universe, including that big hat?” he asked.

“God did.” Hampton answered. “He made me too.” “Son, you are just as amazing as that cluster of stars, you are what God looks like to me.” (daddy was starting to grow salty tears in his eyes).

They were finally making their way onto the street of their home, about to turn into the driveway, when Mark continued: “Son, what makes you think God has been special to you?”

“He gave us Jesus,” Hampton responded with joy. “God sent his son;” daddy interrupted, “but I don’t think I could send you Hampy,” “but I’m not Jesus daddy, so I don’t have to!” "He did it."

“Jesus is the way we believe dad, God was so good to make a way for us to come home. Jesus came here; now we can go out towards the sombrero.”

“That makes all the difference, son, he is the way and the difference.” Daddy warmly agreed, and then threw the car into park. “It makes all the difference, Hampy.”

“So that’s a world view?” Hampton finished, and was jumping out of the car.

“Yessiree it is…” “Let’s get some lunch.” “Well done Einstein, you will make a good teacher someday”

Hampton ran up the drive yelling back: “Quarterback, dad!”

(fictional short story composed June 11, 2011)

copyright: Mark H. Pillsbury

##