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Canadian Idealism and the Philosophy of Freedom: C.B. Macpherson, George Grant and Charles Taylor Robert Meynell Kingston ON : McGill-Queens University Press , 2010, pp. 320.
Reviews/Recensions
With his Canadian Idealism and the Philosophy of Freedom: C.B. Macpherson, George Grant, and Charles Taylor, Robert Meynell gives us much to think about. Meynell's central assertion is what we might call "the cunning of Hegel," that is, the claim that Hegel's influence is working in and behind the theoretical positions of three of Canada's most prominent twentieth-century political philosophers, C.B. Macpherson, George Grant and Charles Taylor. At points, Meynell contradicts the express statements of these authors and is left in the awkward position of claiming that he (and we) can see a clear debt to Hegel where the philosophers themselves cannot. While there is no doubt that Hegel's influence pervades contemporary political thought, it is problematic to claim that these diversely brilliant theorists unwittingly repeat Hegelian structures and arguments so thoroughly that their quite distinct positions are very similar.
Canada has an unusual concentration of Hegel scholarship as evident in the works of H.S. Harris, James Doull, John Burbidge, John Russon, Emil Fackenheim, Rebecca Comay and others. It is surely no accident that this coincides with our unique combination of liberal capitalism and welfare state supports. That said, it is not clear how far this influence extends into our classrooms, courtrooms and coffee shops, nor is it clear which of our scholars should be considered a disciple of Hegel (witting or not). Hegel is a tricky thinker and the practical implications of his political philosophy have evoked ferocious...