Incomprehension of philosophy stems from reading habits, not ignorance

Evidence

Hegel begins with the ordinary practice of reading and understanding philosophical writing. He reminds us of one ‘particular complaint often made against philosophical writings, that so much has to be read over and over again before it can be understood’. Now, as he interprets this, if the reader of a philosophical text generally does not understand what he or she has read, this is not the fault of an inadequate education. The work remains incomprehensible even for an individual ‘who otherwise possesses the intellectual and cultural conditions required to understand it’. The problem lies instead in the way the reader’s ordinary habits of reading and understanding have been constructed. — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel, 1195

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes that for Hegel the very structure of ordinary reading, not lack of education, blocks understanding—a counter-intuitive premise that launches the plasticity-of-reading argument.
• XREF: connects to: Philosophical incomprehension stems from the reader’s habits, not inadequate education. — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel: Plasticity,…, 1195; Philosophy’s self-knowledge is an act of reading, not passive contemplation; Philosophy releases sedimented energy by disrupting habitual familiarity (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Philosophical incomprehension stems from the reader’s habits, not inadequate education. #corroborates (1.00) — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel, 1195
• Misreading Hegel stems from constructed reading habits, not inadequate education #exemplifies (0.95)
• Philosophy’s self-knowledge is an act of reading, not passive contemplation #expands (0.85)
• Philosophy releases sedimented energy by disrupting habitual familiarity #expands (0.75)
• Absolute knowledge depends on interpretive reading with no privileged author #expands (0.72) — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel, 1130