Natural world Quote by Alexandre Kojève
““According to Hegel -- to use the Marxist terminology -- Religion is only an ideological superstructure that is born and exists solely in relation to a real substructure. This substructure, which supports both religion and philosophy, is nothing but the totality of human actions realized during the course of universal history, that history in and by which man has created a series of specifically human worlds, essentially different from the natural world. It is these social worlds that are reflected in the religious and philosophical ideologies, and therefore-- to come to the point at once -- absolute knowledge, which reveals the totality of Being, can be realized only at the end of history, in the last world created by man.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Introduction to Hegelian Philosophy, 1960
Kojève interprets Hegel to argue that religion and philosophy are built upon the material actions of humanity, and that ultimate understanding emerges only after humanity fully shapes its own world.
In simple terms: Religion and philosophy stem from human actions; ultimate truth appears later.
Key Takeaway
Human actions shape belief systems; truth follows.
Themes
philosophy
history
human agency
Mood
reflective
serious
Type
philosophical
academic
historical
When to use this quote
- social movements
- cultural development
- political revolutions
- academic study
Key Concepts
Hegelian dialectic
ideology critique
Questions to Reflect On
- How do material conditions influence belief?
- Can absolute knowledge ever be achieved?
A Different Perspective
Human actions alone may not resolve existential questions.
![“Religion is an attempt to get control over the sensory world, in which we are placed, by means of the wish-world which we have developed inside us as a result of biological and psychological necessities. [...] If one attempts to assign to religion its place in man's evolution, it seems not so much…” quote by Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/59b/sigmund-freud-360_acquisition_religion-is-an-attempt-to-get-control-ov_272243.jpg)
