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Knowledge conceived as an instrument is a means to the end of power. The goal of philosophy, however, is not to gain power over the Absolute but to know it as it truly is.

— Merold Westphal History and Truth in Hegel’s Phenomenology (1979)

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More quotes by Merold Westphal

Kierkegaard seeks to un-socialize the individual in order to un-deify society.

Kierkegaard’s Critique of Reason and Society (1992)

It is precisely the acceptance of political, ethical, and religious heteronomy which leads Hegel to label Judeo-Christian culture a slave culture.

History and Truth in Hegel’s Phenomenology (1979)

To assume that one’s existential task is completed when the individual is brought into right relation with society, that is, when the individual has been socialized, is to absolutize society and confuse society with God.

Kierkegaard’s Critique of Reason and Society (1992)

The story of German idealism is the story of Kant and the aftermath.

It is the shared bad faith by which individuals help each other sustain the illusion that they can shirk their spiritual destiny by joining the public.

Kierkegaard’s Critique of Reason and Society (1992)

All Merold Westphal quotes →

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Merold Westphal (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.