This article investigates the importance of the lumiere not only in the formation of the young Hegel, but more tellingly in the dialectical construction of his system. with this aim in mind, we have chosen to follow an internal track within the Hegelian work, starting with a critical comparison with Denis Diderot, one of the most illustrious exponents of Enlightenment philosophy. The presence of Le Neveu de Rameau in the VI section of the Phenomenology of Spirit is eloquent. For Hegel, the dialogue represents a precious historical evidence of the pre-revolutionary 18th century, a reflection of an alienating culture. It is this culture that Rameau expresses and which represents the disorientation suffered by the individual in modern era (Bildung).
This investigation highlights the dynamics of the relationship between the individual and the collective, between the citizen and the State, a central theme in Hegelian philosophy. When there is no recognition between the individual and collective dimensions, a condition of alienation, which Rameau expresses in his bizarre language, is generated. On the one hand, the Enlightenment coincides with an alienating culture that is the result of a static understanding to be overcome aimed at a rational conciliation; on the other hand, thanks to the critical instruments provided by the Philosophes, Hegel was able to build some of the key concepts of his philosophy, in particular, using the paradigmatic character of Rameau.