Single Idea 5274

[catalogued under 23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 6. Authentic Self]

Full Idea

The Young Hegelians logically put to men the moral postulate of exchanging their present consciousness for human, critical or egoistic consciousness, and thus removing their limitations.

Clarification

'Young Hegelians' were later followers of Hegel

Gist of Idea

Young Hegelians proposed changing our present consciousness for liberating critical consciousness

Source

K Marx / F Engels (The German Ideology [1846], §1.A)

Book Reference

Marx,K./Engels,F.: 'The German Ideology', ed/tr. Arthur,C.J. [Lawrence and Wishart 1985], p.41


A Reaction

It seems there are three views here: this one (that we can change our consciousness), the Aristotelian view (that consciousness is 'given'), and the Marxist view (that society determines consciousness). The truth is somewhere between them.