Animal Spirit(s): Hegel, Habit, and the Reanimalization of Religion - (New Research in the History of Western Philosophy) by Paul Matthews

About the Book

This book traces how habit mediates between nature and spirit, transforming animal life while anticipating the reconciliatory force of religion.

Book Synopsis

This book presents a new reading of Hegel's philosophy of religion, focusing on the mediating role of habit between nature and spirit. It explores how the death of the animal becomes central to the emergence of spirit and how religious practice (cultus) functions as a habitual form of reconciliation. Engaging Hegel's Encyclopedia, Phenomenology of Spirit, and Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion, it situates these questions within debates in postcolonial studies, critical animal theory, and philosophy of religion. The result is a vital contribution to Hegel scholarship and contemporary reflections on (post-)humanity, animality, and religion.

About the Author

Paul R. Matthews, Ph.D. (Boston University) is adjunct instructor in Philosophy at Leuphana Universität Lüneburg and a teacher of Philosophy and English. His research sits at the intersection of German Idealism, critical animal studies, and the philosophy of religion.