B.A ll year ( western political science)

Dr.Sarita Devi                                                     The Absolute Spirit: The Basis of Hegel's Political Thought

Hegel gave reason the highest place in his philosophy. Hegel's concept of reason and reality is the key to the mystery of his philosophy. According to Hegel, the element or substance at the root of this animate and inanimate world is the Universal Spirit or Reason. The English word "Spirit" is used for the German word "Geist," but Hegel used this word not in the sense of "spirit" or "soul," but in the sense of "Absolute Spirit" or Universal Spirit. The Universal Spirit, through its inner impulse, develops progressively through various forms and categories and then returns to its original form. This cycle of creation continues perpetually, which is a play of the Universal Spirit. There are many stages in this development of the Universal Spirit, some of which are subjective or belong to the world of thought, and others are objective or belong to the visible world. Hegel's idealism is objective idealism. According to this, both the mind and the objective world are governed by the "universal idea" or "Universal Spirit."