Section II (1932-1935) Summary and Analysis

In this group of five writings created between 1932 and 1935, Bataille addresses current social and political ideas forecast in earlier works. "The Critique of the Foundations of the Hegelian Dialectic" describes how the dialectic method of Marx and Hegel is treated with repugnance and critiqued. German professor Nicolai Hartmann examines dialectical themes in Hegel's philosophy to compare verbal and reality-based approaches. Hartmann claims their fundamental difference lies in the treatment of the Marx/Hegel dialectic as a general law of reality to substitute for logic while Hartmann disputes its universality and tests dialectic reasoning in each particular case. For example, Engels tests the dialectic by claiming its validity and looking for examples in nature to substantiate it. He compares this to Hartmann who examines lived experience first. Specifically, Engels theorizes "a priori" whereas Hartmann concludes "a posteriori." Engels...