Caputo on Hegel on Revealed Religion and Absolute Spirit - a Deep Dive conversation

Caputo's perverse core of Hegel revolves around the idea of a productive perversion of the absolute. This involves pushing Hegel's ideas to conclusions he might not have explicitly intended, thereby opening doors for radical theology. Key aspects of Caputo's perverse core of Hegel:Radical Theology as a Result: Caputo views Hegel as a springboard for radical theology, offering a way to think theologically without relying on the traditional metaphysics of separate worlds. Hegel's approach involves considering the world as a horizon and thinking of God within it.Beyond Hegel's Intentions: It means following Hegel where he did not mean to lead, marching to a drum he did not quite beat, taking up a cause he did not quite advocate, and so to pursue Hegelian perversatility to its felicitous end. Caputo suggests repeating Hegel by exploring the possibilities within his work that are unfinished and still becoming. Event vs. World: Caputo replaces Hegel's concept of God being-in-itself with the relationship between the event and the world. The event is what stirs within what happens, while the world is everything that happens, marked by traces of divine events.Incomplete Project: Caputo argues that the perversion launched by Hegel is incomplete and needs to be pushed further. He seeks a perverse core in Hegel that goes beyond the notion of the Absolute subtly steering human passions.Beyond Subject and Substance: The perverse core of Hegel involves conceiving a world where the absolute is neither substance nor subject, or where these are merely provisional effects standing in for more boundless virtualities.A-telic History: Caputo suggests that history should be seen as a radically a-telic and contingent process, without a steadying teleological hand. Instead of a teleological movement, history is marked by change, chance, and fortunes.Human Responsibility: Hegel's shift implies that humans become responsible for completing what is missing in the body of God. The weakness of God goes hand in hand with the responsibility of humankind. Events and Intensities: The absolute is not a logos or power but an a-logical sense or intensity of existence. The divine is not providence but excitation, exaltation, and rejoicing in moments of intensified flow.God as Body and Soul of the World: By conceiving the absolute as the substance and subject of the world, Hegel opened the door to seeing God as the body and soul of the world. The world beats with the heart of God and pulsates under a divine impulse.Prayer: Caputo suggests a perversatility of prayer, where materialism is the answer to God's prayers, with God soliciting humans and humans praying for the heart to respond.Legacy: Hegel opened up the space to consider God as an event occurring in matter, space, and time.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-philosophy-channel--4573240/support."Dare to use your own reason" - Immanuel Kant