Hegel Notes

Hegel was inspired by German Idealism, drawing from Rousseau and Kant.
He integrated these ideas with the desire for German unification and the rise of nation-states.
Hegel, like Fichte, supported idealism.
Hegel believed the rational will of the individual is expressed in the totality of the will of the state.
The state's consciousness and moral authority are more important than individual will.
History moves from imperfect to perfect through dialectical logic.
The distinction between 'is' and 'ought' vanishes as real becomes rational.
The state, civil society, and family are important components of this ideal.
Hegelian freedom is associated with rationality, unlike British liberalism's focus on liberty and individuality.

Born in 1770 in Württemberg, Southern Germany.
Studied theology due to his father's wishes.
Received a Ph.D. in 1793 from the University of Tubingen.
Worked as a tutor in Bern and Frankfurt for about seven years.
Lecturer at the University of Jena, later becoming a Professor in 1801.
Appointed Professor of Philosophy at the University of Heidelberg in 1816.
Became Professor of Philosophy at the Berlin University in 1818, succeeding Fichte.
Worked as an official advisor to the Emperor of Prussia.
Held these positions until his death in 1830.

Wrote extensively on Political Philosophy.
Phenomenology of Mind was published in 1807, written at Jena.
Science of Logic was published in 1811-12, earning him recognition as an outstanding philosopher.
Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences was written during his time at Heidelberg, making him famous in Europe.
Philosophy of Right, his major work in political theory, was written at Berlin.
His lectures were published by his son after his death under the title Philosophy of History.
His writings and positions as advisor earned him international fame.
Became known as the King of philosophers and the philosopher of kings.

Hegel was influenced by several philosophers.
Borrowed the dialectical method from Socrates.
Hegel's doctrine traces back to Greek thinkers like Socrates and Plato.
Aristotle's teleology influenced Hegel, with teleology understanding a thing in terms of its purpose. Example: A watch's purpose is to tell time.
Immanuel Kant's influence is visible in Hegel's writings.
Hegel's idea that the state is founded on reason is similar to Kant's position.
Like Kant, Hegel did not give individuals the right to resist the state.
Traces of Rousseau's influence are discernable.
Like Rousseau's General Will, Hegel's Idea, Spirit, or Reason is infallible.
Hegel prioritizes public interest over private interest, similar to Rousseau.
Rousseau distinguished between actual will (self-interest) and real will (public interest).
The general will is the sum total of all the real wills and is infallible.
Hegel's philosophy was historicist.
Historicism assumes limits to scientific knowledge about human activities and achievements.
Some link historicism to ambitions for rationally controlling human happenings.

Hegel was influenced by major contemporary events.
The French Revolution (1789) and the subjugation of Germany by Napoleon influenced him.
The French Revolution overthrew the feudal order and projected values of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
The values of liberty and fraternity influenced his writings.
The subjugation of Germany by Napoleon disillusioned him, leading him to resolve political problems of the states.
The reconciliation he advocated is unique and paradoxical.

In political ideas, there are two schools: idealism and naturalism, rationalism and empiricism.
The nature of reality is ontological; knowing it is epistemological.
Idealists, like Hegel and Plato, believe true knowledge comes from the idea of the thing.
The idea of a thing is more important than the thing itself.
What is real and permanent is the ''idea of a thing