What do art, religion, and philosophy have to do with each other? According to Hegel, they are the "highest" activities in which human beings can engage. This is because, he claims, we are defined by our capacity for freedom, and it is through art, religion, and philosophy that this capacity is most fully realized. Thus, if Hegel is right, although art, religion, and philosophy seem to be very different kinds of endeavor, they actually amount to three ways of doing basically the same thing. Art, religion, and philosophy are obviously not identical, however, and Hegel is as interested in their differences as he is in their similarity. Specifically, he is interested in the different ways these three liberating activities contribute to our freedom. He ultimately concludes that although artistic and religious practices are indispensable to human freedom, it is in and through philosophy that our liberation is most complete. In this course, we will read Hegel's discussions of art, religion, and philosophy, to try to make sense of and evaluate his fascinating and perplexing claims. Requirements: final paper, several shorter assignments, attendance and participation. Prerequisite: Philosophy 101 or 102, or Aesthetics, or Philosophy of Religion.