The Superiority of 'Chemical Thinking' for Understanding Free Human Society According to Hegel

• Main Authors: NOWACKI, Mark, EECKE, Wilfried Ver
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2006
• Subjects: Hegel; chemical thinking; mechanism; public goods; Mancur Olson; latent group; leadership; free human society; mechanistic thinking; Philosophy
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/522
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This paper examines the claim of G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831) that chemical thinking-the method of thinking employed in chemistry-marks a significant advance upon (and hence is superior to) meCHANistic thinking-the method of thinking characteristic of physics. This is done in the context of Mancur Olson's theory of collective action and public goods. The analogy between the efficiency of a catalyst in bringing about chemical transformation and the function of leaders in free human society in developing latent groups to provide public goods is explored.