The Critique and Reinterpretation of the Conflict Between Pippin’s and Žižek’s Readings of Hegel: Proposing a New Interpretation Based on Fundamental Historical Transformations Toward the Attainment of Freedom
Objective: This article examines two conflicting interpretations of Hegel’s philosophy regarding Concrete Freedom in relation to Historical Context. Robert Pippin, based on his particular reading of Hegel, emphasizes participation in existing institutions and historical rationality, conceiving freedom within the framework of modern society and gradual reform. In contrast, Slavoj Žižek, drawing on a distinct intellectual system shaped by his unique engagement with Hegel, argues that genuine freedom is only possible through revolutionary ruptures, emphasizing a radical critique of ideological structures and the internal contradictions of the system.The aim of this article is to analyze this conflict and propose a resolution derived from the of Hegel’s general system of philosophy and his philosophy of history. By focusing on an understanding of and Historical Time Awareness regarding historical change-points, the article shows how both perspectives are incomplete and neither, on its own, provides a comprehensive view of the dialectical development of society. Nevertheless, the two can be integrated through a new synthesis within the Hegelian dialectic.
Methods: conceptual analysis and critical comparison
Results: The findings suggest that freedom is achieved neither solely through participation in existing institutions (Pippin) nor exclusively through radical critique (Žižek), but rather through a dynamic and historically aware engagement with history, especially by attending to decisive historical change-points.
masoomi, S. and Meshkat, M. (2026). The Critique and Reinterpretation of the Conflict Between Pippin’s and Žižek’s Readings of Hegel: Proposing a New Interpretation Based on Fundamental Historical Transformations Toward the Attainment of Freedom. Journal of Philosophical Investigations, (), -. doi: 10.22034/jpiut.2026.70265.4343
MLA
masoomi, S. , and Meshkat, M. . "The Critique and Reinterpretation of the Conflict Between Pippin’s and Žižek’s Readings of Hegel: Proposing a New Interpretation Based on Fundamental Historical Transformations Toward the Attainment of Freedom", Journal of Philosophical Investigations, , , 2026, -. doi: 10.22034/jpiut.2026.70265.4343
HARVARD
masoomi, S., Meshkat, M. (2026). 'The Critique and Reinterpretation of the Conflict Between Pippin’s and Žižek’s Readings of Hegel: Proposing a New Interpretation Based on Fundamental Historical Transformations Toward the Attainment of Freedom', Journal of Philosophical Investigations, (), pp. -. doi: 10.22034/jpiut.2026.70265.4343
CHICAGO
S. masoomi and M. Meshkat, "The Critique and Reinterpretation of the Conflict Between Pippin’s and Žižek’s Readings of Hegel: Proposing a New Interpretation Based on Fundamental Historical Transformations Toward the Attainment of Freedom," Journal of Philosophical Investigations, (2026): -, doi: 10.22034/jpiut.2026.70265.4343
VANCOUVER
masoomi, S., Meshkat, M. The Critique and Reinterpretation of the Conflict Between Pippin’s and Žižek’s Readings of Hegel: Proposing a New Interpretation Based on Fundamental Historical Transformations Toward the Attainment of Freedom. Journal of Philosophical Investigations, 2026; (): -. doi: 10.22034/jpiut.2026.70265.4343
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