Die Eule der Minerva aus vorhegelscher Perspektive: Obereits Avertissement (1795) an Goethe

Hüttner, Jörg und Walter, Martin (2020): Die Eule der Minerva aus vorhegelscher Perspektive: Obereits Avertissement (1795) an Goethe. In: Hegel-Studien, Bd. 53/54: S. 301-318

Abstract

The Owl of Minerva cars be considered one of the most prominent philosophical metaphors, occurring only once in Hegel's Elements of the Philosophy of Right. Current research ascribes different motives for the origin of that metaphor: (I) a political journal named Minerva (thesis of Jacques d'Hondt) or (2) a sculpture in Heidelberg showing Minerva or the Goddess Pallas Athena (thesis of Klaus Vieweg). Both get by without a philosophical reconstruction: Hondt's is political orientated, Vieweg's on the historical site. However, a retrospective reading from Aristotle to Thomas Aquinas demonstrates a mere negative metaphorical context in the western tradition of the history of ideas: the night owl is considered likewise day-blind. In contrast, the Hegelian use is affirmative and attributes certain spectator-qualities to the owl, which allows a privileged viewpoint in the epistemological twilight. This article attempts to add a third source option for Hegel. Writings by Jakob Hermann Obereit: mainly a short text entitled Avertissement (1795), sent to Goethe. This allows even a possible direct transfer, considering the friendship of Goethe and Obereit as well as of Goethe and Hegel. The text includes various descriptions and characteristics of the night owl in a similar affirmative and dialectical thinking. Most striking is the wording "umgekehrte Welt", similar to Hegel's "verkehrte Welt" [both German terms mean reversed world]. The possible familiarity of Hegel with Obereit can be proven by an Obereit-Book, located in Hegel's own library.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften > Department 1
• Themengebiete: 400 Sprache > 400 Sprache
• ISSN: 0073-1587
• Sprache: Deutsch