Spiritualism - Lessons 12,13,14 and 15

Spiritualism- Lesson 12 Schopenhauer, Lesson 13 Fichte, Lesson 14 Hegel, Lesson 15 Marxism and Communism

Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher who lived from 1788 until 1860.He read a Latin translation of the Upanishads and called the Upanishads "the production of the highest human wisdom". The Upanishads are a collection of philosophical texts which form the theoretical basis of the Hindu religion. Upanishad is derived from the Sanskrit term "Upanisad" which meant"setting to rest ignorance by revealing the knowledge of the Supreme Spirit". The Upanishads are believed to have originated in northern India and originally passed down through the generations by oral tradition. There are more than 200 Upanishads known to exist. Modern day researchers and scholars disagree as to when the Upanishads were first written down in old Sanskrit. Some researchers estimate the first written Upanishads appeared around 1200 BCE or 3200 years ago while other researchers have concluded that the Upanishads were written down as long ago as 6000 BCE or 8000 years ago. Schopenhauer kept a copy of the Upanishads on his table and was quoted to have said"the Upanishads have been the solace of my life and will be the solace of my death. In his writings Schopenhauer also made reference to the four Noble Truths of Buddhism. Arthur Schopenhauer was opposed to slavery and supported the Abolitionists movement in the United States in the mid 19^th century. He sometimes claimed to be a Buddhist and at other times he claimed to be an Atheist. As far as the philosophies of Schopenhauer go I agree with his philosophy that" compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character".

Prior to studying the 13th lesson on Spirituality, I had never heard of a man called Johann Gottlieb Fichte who lived from 1762 until 1814. He is considered one of the founders of the philosophical movement known as German Idealism. He studied at the Jena Theology Seminary from 1780 until 1784 and he became a professor of Philosophy at the University of Jena in 1793.I do not agree with Fichte's Philosophy on Women that" Active citizenship, civic freedom, even property rights should be withheld from women whose calling was to subject themselves utterly to the authority of their fathers and husbands". However I do agree with Fichte's philosophy that "The kind of philosophy one chooses depends on the kind of person one is"

Lesson 14 introduced me to the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel who lived from 1770 until 1831.He developed the concept that the Mind or Spirit manifested itself in a set of contradictions and oppositions that it ultimately integrated and united without eliminating either pole or reducing one to the other. Hegel believed history was an important part of any philosophical system and Philosophy of any time period can only be truly understood in historical context or Spirit of the Times. During Hegel's lifetime the French Revolution occurred and Napoleon Bonaparte rose to and fell from power.

Lesson 15 reintroduced me to Karl Marx, a German Philosopher who lived from 1818 until 1883.He attended the University of Bonn and the University of Berlin. His doctoral thesis was titled "The difference Between Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature ". He was awarded a PhD from the University of Jena. He was a journalist for various different radical newspapers. At various times the articles of Karl Marx were banned in Germany, France and Russia. Along with Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto which was commissioned by the Communist League in 1848.The communist league was disbanded in 1852.Most modern forms of Communism are based on the theories of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and Vladimir Lenin. The Communist world view promotes Atheism as a fundamental tenet. As I stated in Spiritualism, Lesson 9 "Atheism is simply another perception and perspective of conscious awareness of the universe. Atheism is a belief system.

Throughout time philosophers will continue to examine fundamental issues of humanity such as those connected with reality and existence, values and reason. I do agree with one quote by Karl Marx "The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways, the point, however, is to change it.

Respectfully submitted by

Rev. Susan K. Bowers