Selbstverständigung, Selbsterkenntnis und Religion

Abstract In recent years, there have been several noteworthy attempts to understand Hegel’s doctrine of “absolute spirit” as a theory of cultural practices in which human self-understanding is formed, cultivated, and critically examined. This essay explores a number of theologically significant conclusions that can be drawn from this assumption. In doing so, I address central questions concerning the subject, content, and goals of the practice. My main thesis is that, for Hegel, there is a complex interplay between religious or metaphysical beliefs about the structure of reality as a whole and the successful formation of self-knowledge. In particular, these relations form an important basis for the critical evaluation of the cultural practices themselves and their social dimensions. I argue that these characteristics tend to be overlooked in contemporary interpretations.