Originally published in 2001,
Hegel's Metaphysics of God
presents Hegel's response to Kant's claim that metaphysics in general and, in particular, knowledge of God, is beyond the grasp of human knowledge. Calton argues that Hegel uses his version of the ontological proof not only to establish the existence of God, but also to develop a Trinitarian divine ontology. The book opens with a discussion of the traditional version of the ontological proof as it is set out by Anselm in his Proslogium and an analysis of the critiques of this traditional formulation of the proof offered by both Kant and Hegel. However, the main focus of the book concerns Hegel's reformulation of the ontological proof as a description of God's self-expression in the world and of God's attaining complete self-knowledge through human consciousness. Exploring Hegel’s proof as his description of God’s activity of self-expression and self-knowledge, Calton demonstrates that Hegel uses the ontological proof not only to establish that God exists, but also to articulate the Trinitarian structure of God, pointing to conclusions drawn by Hegel that human knowledge of God participates in the life of God by completing the Trinity. The book concludes by explaining the role played by human consciousness in completing the Trinity through the reasoning that takes place in the ontological proof. This book details the development of Hegel's argument for a Trinitarian metaphysics of God and establishes that the structure of Hegel's ontological proof encompasses Hegel's entire philosophical system, from the concept of God, to God’s self-expression in finitude, and, finally, to the recognition on the part of human consciousness that humans are an integral part of God’s being.