A Meister among the Moderns: Hegel, Rosenberg, Bloch and Cage

Abstract

My aim in this paper is to demonstrate, albeit briefly, just how diverse Eckhart’s influences have been over the past two hundred years. To do this I have selected four men – G.W.F. Hegel, Alfred Rosenberg, Ernst Bloch and John Cage. They are not only very different from each other, but are in some cases almost polar opposites. While I give a short explanation as to who they were and where Eckhart comes in, for the most part, I will let their writings speak for themselves. As a result, the transitions in the paper may seem a little abrupt, but in many ways that captures the point I wish to make. I am going to juxtapose these four figures, each very significant in his own right, so as to convey what a varied – and, in some cases, rather treacherous – terrain exists when considering the idea of ‘Meister Eckhart and Modern Thought’.