Scepticism and the Modern State in the Thought of Georg W. F. Hegel

Abstract

Both the concept of “post-truth” and ancient scepticism link a plurality of irreconcilable “truths” to a certain disregard for truth. Post-truth phenomena are often deemed politically detrimental. This paper discusses how Georg W. F. Hegel rethinks ancient scepticism to avert similar detrimental effects, shows that Hegel’s thought suggests that a plurality of irreconcilable “truths” needs not exclude faith in truth, and that the modern state rests on both.

Keywords

• georg w. f. hegel
• modern state
• ancient scepticism
• post-truth
• truth
• freedom of conscience