Hegel & Marx on Webphil

Hegel: The world is always changing and progressing (as a group). 

Webphil has been evolving and continues to evolve as new viewpoints (new philosophers, antitheses) are added to the mix. Along with this, he would be happy to hear us debating over certain aspects of the website. Conflict is positive and provides opportunity for growth.

He might propose the idea of an open forum where visitors of Webphil are encouraged to critique the site and propose new ideas. There could be push back from other viewers as they seek to find a synthesis of their ideas. There should also be encouragement for opposition and debate in the analysis of websites that are up for critique.

A key for Webphil is to emphasize the culture. Businesses are currently expending a lot of money and energy into setting and maintaining a strong culture. In fact, some firms have even named a chief culture officer to aid in these efforts. A key part of Webphil's culture should be the idea of straight talk - don't get offended if someone disagrees with you and don't be afraid to be honest with others.

Marx: Everything that is done should be pushing toward meaningful work.

So far, the Webphil certified critics have all (well, almost all) been engaged and have learned about philosophers outside of the ones they are assigned to. Even though each critic has a specific task, they are informed of outside viewpoints and have an idea of what the website will consist of as a whole.

Website visitors should have a similar experience; though they may be particularly interested in a single philosopher or topic, they should still be exposed to others so they understand where their task fits in with the whole.

They should feel that they are accountable and responsible for how the whole site turns out. Though the visitors and critics may have a specific task, they should be like the difference between assembly line and kaizen manufacturing. They need to understand the vision and growth of the project.