Cunning of reason

What Dominique Pagani says

Dominique Pagani takes up the Hegelian cunning of reason. He understands it as the articulation of essence and existence: reason is an essence without existence, a truth that lacks reality. It can enter into existence only by making use of what is already there, that is, the passions and interests of individuals, states and collectivities12. His main example is Napoleon: reason uses his ambition to set up the modern state, then casts him off to Saint Helena3. For him, a reason that uses cunning is not all-powerful, any more than the devil is, who uses cunning because he is less powerful than God. He sees in this weakness what is materialist in the notion45. He relates it to Providence and distinguishes it from perverse effects. He also connects it to the tool in the young Hegel6. He gives other examples: the colonial school that trains the leaders of independence, the geocentric calculations that advance mathematics, the return of Marx.

1. 1Freud1 Aug 2017 · 1:45:58
2. 2"Napoléon ou les raisons de la ruse", avec Dominique Pagani2 Dec 2024 · 27:45
3. 3"Napoléon ou les raisons de la ruse", avec Dominique Pagani2 Dec 2024 · 19:32
4. 4#5.2 bis FaceBookLive / Questions (1)6 Dec 2018 · 1:16:19
5. 5La mondanité chez Clouscard - Le monde comme "ruse de la raison"22 Jul 2023 · 35:25
6. 6Hommage à Jacques D'Hondt (2)2 Aug 2016 · 3:58

Summary produced automatically from 25 of the passages below, to be reviewed; the numbers link to the moment in the session.