Question by dtkdrummer: In which work did the modern philosopher Hegel, use the metaphor of the curtain and a room?
I learned in class about a metaphor Hegel used. The basic idea is that everyone is in a room, and on one wall is a curtain. Everyone in the room is self-conscious so they are curious whats beyond the curtain, so they pull it, and it’s just a larger room with a another curtain at the other end. This just keeps going on and on, and the main take away is that the “Truth is the whole”. I cannot find where Hegel talks about this metaphor, can someone point me to which of his works and where in the works this metaphor can be located?
Yes, I am sure it’s Hegel. Although my professor told us the metaphor…perhaps he made the metaphor himself. I cannot find any other answers online either.

Best answer:

Answer by strateia8
Hegel says “The true is the whole” in preface to The Phenomenology of Spirit, para. 20 (Miller translation), but nothing there with a curtain. I don’t recall that metaphor in anything of Hegel’s, but I haven’t read everything. You’re sure it was it his metaphor? (Not accusing you of anything, just asking to double-check your memory, is all.)

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

More Modern Philosophers Articles

Is it possible to find satisfaction with life if the invisible approaches don’t work? I like having hope and see life as quite short. Things like toys just don’t do it anymore. I’m looking for some takes on this subject.

Product Description
The short series The Historical Epistemology of Mechanics presents the long-term development of mechanical knowledge. The books in this series combine the presentation of a broad selection of relevant sources with in-depth analyses of the long-term development of mechanical knowledge focusing on the early modern period. This series is conceived in analogy to the four-volume series on The Genesis of General Relativity (BSPS 250). The English Galileo, the first book … More >>

The English Galileo: Thomas Harriot’s Work on Motion as an Example of Preclassical Mechanics

I met a person who claimed to be a metaphysicist. Once over a telephone conversation, he told me to write a number down on a sheet of paper, then he guessed the number twice. Does metaphysics involve telepathy?