Hegel’s Manuscripts from the Frankfurt Period (1797–1800)

Milan Sobotka

Study is the continuation of the article Hegel theologische Jugendschriften of Bern period, which was published in Reflexe, No. 17 (1997). If the manuscripts of Bern period can be explained in the sense that Hegel’s interest is concentrated on questions which did not receive much attention from the contemporary German philosophy (moralization of mankind by means of „religion of imagination“ etc.), then in Frankfurt period Hegel reaches not only the level of contemporary philosophy, but surpassed it, even though he remains loyal to the subject of human relations. In Frankfurt Hegel is primarily interested in the project of aesthetization of reality, by means of which he tries to overcome the subject-object position, which contributes to the indolence of human beings (men) as well as world itself and its forms. „Love“ which creates idols from other people means for Hegel a medium of aesthetization of reality. Relation to an idol then revives our relations to other people and things nad makes them warmer. According to the author Hegel was inspired first of all by Schiller’s poem Die Götter Griechenlandes, but Schiller’s conception was consistently historicized on the base of analysis of human attitudes in the history of Jewish nation.