Deities Quote by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
“As high as mind stands above nature, so high does the state stand above physical life. Man must therefore venerate the state as a secular deity.”
About This Quote
Source Philosophy: Phenomenology of Spirit, Hegel, 1807
He argues that the state, like the mind, should be revered above nature, treating it as a secular deity.
In simple terms: The state is elevated above nature, like a secular god.
Key Takeaway
Question the elevation of state over nature.
Themes
political philosophy
secularism
authority
nature
humanism
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- government policy
- environmental ethics
- civic education
Key Concepts
philosophy
political theory
metaphysics
Questions to Reflect On
- Is the state truly a secular deity?
- What are the risks of deifying political structures?
A Different Perspective
Such reverence can suppress individual freedoms and ecological balance.
![“It has been said that the French revolution resulted from philosophy, and it is not without reason that philosophy has been called Weltweisheit [world wisdom]; for it is not only truth in and for itself, as the pure essence of things, but also truth in its living form as exhibited in the affairs…” quote by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/906/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel_french-revolution_it-has-been-said-that-the-french-revolut_297624.jpg)
