Hegel

1770 — 1831

royaume de Prusse

PhilosophyPhilosopheEarly ModernLate 18th and early 19th century (Romantic and post-revolutionary period)

German philosopher (1770–1831), Hegel is one of the greatest thinkers of German Idealism. He developed a dialectical method and an influential philosophy of history, most notably set out in the Phenomenology of Spirit.

Émotions disponibles (6)

Neutre

par défaut

Inspiré

Pensif

Surpris

Triste

Fier

Famous Quotes

« What is rational is real, and what is real is rational »

Key Facts

1807: Publication of the Phenomenology of Spirit, a foundational work
1816–1817: Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences, a synthesis of his thought
Development of the dialectical method (thesis, antithesis, synthesis)
Elaboration of a philosophy of history as the progress of freedom
1818: Professor at the University of Berlin, major influence in Germany

Works & Achievements

Phenomenology of Spirit (1807)

Hegel's first major work, it traces the journey of human consciousness from sensory perception to absolute knowledge. It is one of the founding texts of modern philosophy, influencing Marx, Sartre, and many thinkers of the 20th century.

Science of Logic (1812-1816)

A systematic exposition of dialectical logic in three volumes, comprising the doctrines of Being, Essence, and the Concept. This work constitutes the metaphysical core of the Hegelian system.

Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences (1817)

A synthesis of the Hegelian system in three parts: logic, philosophy of nature, and philosophy of Spirit. Conceived as a textbook for his lectures, it offers the most complete and structured overview of Hegel's philosophy.

Elements of the Philosophy of Right (1821)

A treatise on political philosophy setting out the Hegelian theory of the family, civil society, and the State. This work profoundly influenced political thought in the 19th and 20th centuries, notably through its analysis of the role of the rational State.

Lectures on the Philosophy of History (1837 (posthumous))

A collection of lectures published after Hegel's death, presenting his vision of universal history as the unfolding of Reason. This text is one of the most accessible introductions to Hegelian thought.

Lectures on Aesthetics (1835 (posthumous))

Lectures on the philosophy of art, reconstructing the Hegelian theory of beauty and art as the sensible expression of the absolute Idea. These lectures established philosophical aesthetics as an academic discipline.

Anecdotes

Hegel was so absorbed in writing his Phenomenology of Spirit that he finished the manuscript on the night before the Battle of Jena in October 1806, while Napoleon's cannons thundered at the city's gates. He wrote to his friend Niethammer that he had seen 'the World Spirit on horseback' upon catching a glimpse of Napoleon riding through the city.

Hegel was a professor notorious for the obscurity of his lectures at the University of Berlin. His students took frantic notes but often admitted they only understood the material after hours of re-reading. It is reported that he would sometimes stop mid-sentence, remain silent for several minutes, then resume his argument as if nothing had happened.

As a young student at the Tübingen Stift, Hegel shared his room with the poet Hölderlin and the philosopher Schelling. The three young men, enthusiastic about the French Revolution, are said to have planted a 'liberty tree' together in a nearby meadow as a gesture of solidarity with the Parisian revolutionaries, around 1793.

Hegel was appointed rector of the Nuremberg Gymnasium in 1808. He proved to be a rigorous administrator, deeply concerned with the formation of young people, personally writing annual speeches to students urging them toward intellectual effort and moral discipline, convinced that education was the key to the progress of the Spirit.

At his death in 1831, most likely from cholera ravaging Berlin, Hegel left behind a body of work so dense that his disciples immediately split into two camps: the conservative 'Old Hegelians' and the progressive 'Young Hegelians', among whom was a certain Karl Marx.

Primary Sources

Phenomenology of Spirit – Preface (1807)

The true is the whole. But the whole is only the essence completing itself through its development. Of the Absolute it must be said that it is essentially a result.

Elements of the Philosophy of Right – Preface (1821)

What is rational is real, and what is real is rational.

Lectures on the Philosophy of History – Introduction (1837 (posthumous))

The only thought which philosophy brings with it is the simple idea of Reason: Reason governs the world, and consequently world history has unfolded rationally.

Letter to Friedrich Niethammer (October 13, 1806) (1806)

I saw the Emperor – this world soul – ride out of the city to go on reconnaissance. It is indeed a wonderful sensation to see such an individual who, concentrated here at a single point, seated on a horse, reaches out over the world and dominates it.

Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences – §18 (1817)

Philosophy may be provisionally defined as the thinking study of things. It stands in contrast to a non-thinking apprehension of them — that is, to a sensory and representational grasp of those things.

Key Places

Stuttgart, Württemberg

Hegel's birthplace, then the capital of a German imperial duchy. It was in this Swabian Protestant bourgeois environment that he received his early education and developed his relationship with Lutheran religion.

Tübingen Stift

Protestant seminary where Hegel studied theology and philosophy from 1788 to 1793. It was there that he forged his deep friendship with Hölderlin and Schelling, forming one of the most intellectually fertile trios in the history of philosophy.

University of Jena

Hegel taught here from 1801 to 1807 and wrote the Phenomenology of Spirit. The city was also the site of the Napoleonic battle that fascinated the philosopher and shaped his conception of history.

Nuremberg Gymnasium

Secondary school of which Hegel was headmaster from 1808 to 1816. There he developed a pedagogy grounded in rigor and effort, and wrote part of the Science of Logic.

University of Berlin (Humboldt-Universität)

Institution founded in 1810 by Wilhelm von Humboldt where Hegel was appointed to the chair of philosophy in 1818. He achieved renown there, attracting students from across Europe until his death in 1831.

Typical Objects

Goose quill and inkwell

Hegel's daily writing instrument, with which he penned thousands of pages of dense philosophy by hand. The slowness of quill writing matched his laborious and methodical style of thought.

Bamberg Gazette (Bamberger Zeitung)

The newspaper for which Hegel worked as an editor between 1807 and 1808 to make ends meet. This journalistic experience confirmed his interest in current political affairs as a manifestation of Spirit in history.

Porcelain pipe

Like many German bourgeois of the era, Hegel smoked a pipe during moments of reflection and discussion with colleagues. It was an important social ritual in Berlin's intellectual circles.

Black frock coat and top hat

The characteristic attire of a Prussian university professor of the Biedermeier period. The most famous portrait of Hegel, painted by Schlesinger in 1831, depicts him wearing this sober, distinguished costume.

Annotated lecture notebooks

Hegel prepared his lessons in notebooks covered with handwritten notes and corrections. His students transcribed these lectures, thereby compiling the Vorlesungen published after his death.

Bottle of Rhine wine

Hegel was fond of Rhenish wine and often offered it to his guests at his Berlin dinners. He placed great importance on convivium — the moment of sharing which, in his view, fostered the exchange of ideas.

School Curriculum

LycéePhilosophie — La philosophie de l'histoire

LycéePhilosophie — La dialectique comme méthode philosophique

LycéePhilosophie — La conscience et l'auto-conscience

LycéePhilosophie — La liberté et la nécessité

LycéePhilosophie — L'État et la réalisation de la liberté

LycéePhilosophie — L'idéalisme et ses critiques

Vocabulary & Tags

Key Vocabulary

dialecticphenomenologyconsciousnessabsolutespirit (Geist)realityfreedomState

Daily Life

Morning

Hegel rose early and began his day by reading the newspapers, particularly the Augsburg Gazette, to which he subscribed. He attached great importance to political current events, seeing in them the concrete manifestation of Spirit in history. He would then have a frugal breakfast before settling at his desk to work.

Afternoon

Afternoons were devoted to teaching: Hegel gave his lectures at the University of Berlin before an often packed auditorium. He read his notes in a low voice, frequently pausing to reformulate his thoughts. After his lectures, he would sometimes receive advanced students or colleagues for philosophical discussions.

Evening

Evenings in Berlin were for Hegel a time of intellectual and bourgeois sociability. He would host gatherings at home or frequent literary salons and discussion circles. He enjoyed Rhenish wine, occasionally played cards, and discussed politics and philosophy until late into the night.

Food

Hegel's cuisine was that of a Swabian bourgeois transplanted to Prussia: hearty dishes of meat, vegetables, and bread, accompanied by beer or wine. He was not particularly a gourmet but enjoyed good dinners in company. In Nuremberg, he adopted the local Franconian specialties.

Clothing

Hegel wore the sober attire of a Prussian professor: a buttoned black frock coat, a white cravat tied strictly, waistcoat and breeches or trousers. His portrait by Schlesinger shows him dressed with an austerity that reflected his belonging to the Protestant upper bourgeoisie. He sought not elegance but respectability.

Housing

In Berlin, Hegel lived in a comfortable bourgeois apartment in the city centre, close to the university. His study was at the heart of the home, overrun with books and manuscripts. He lived with his wife Marie von Tucher, whom he had married in 1811, and his children in an orderly household that reflected his ideals of family life as set out in the Philosophy of Right.

Historical Timeline

1770Naissance de Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel à Stuttgart, dans le duché de Wurtemberg.

1788Hegel entre au Stift théologique de Tübingen, où il rencontre Hölderlin et Schelling.

1789Début de la Révolution française, qui enthousiasme profondément Hegel et ses camarades.

1793Après ses études, Hegel devient précepteur à Berne, en Suisse, et poursuit ses lectures philosophiques.

1801Hegel rejoint Schelling à l'université d'Iéna et commence à y enseigner comme privatdozent.

1806Bataille d'Iéna : Napoléon écrase la Prusse ; Hegel achève la Phénoménologie de l'Esprit dans la ville occupée.

1807Publication de la Phénoménologie de l'Esprit, première grande œuvre systématique de Hegel.

1808Hegel est nommé directeur du Gymnasium de Nuremberg, poste qu'il occupe jusqu'en 1816.

1812Publication du premier tome de la Science de la Logique, exposant la logique dialectique hégélienne.

1817Hegel publie l'Encyclopédie des sciences philosophiques et obtient une chaire à Heidelberg.

1818Hegel est appelé à l'université de Berlin, alors la plus prestigieuse d'Allemagne, où il enseignera jusqu'à sa mort.

1821Publication des Principes de la philosophie du droit, synthèse de sa philosophie politique et sociale.

1830Hegel est élu recteur de l'université de Berlin ; les révolutions de Juillet en France le préoccupent.

1831Mort de Hegel à Berlin, probablement du choléra, le 14 novembre.

1841Feuerbach publie L'Essence du christianisme, amorçant la critique matérialiste du hégélianisme qui inspirera Marx.

Period Vocabulary

Dialectic (Dialektik) — Philosophical method based on the thesis-antithesis-synthesis movement. For Hegel, it is the very movement of thought and reality, not merely a reasoning technique.

Aufhebung (sublation) — Untranslatable term meaning simultaneously 'to abolish', 'to preserve' and 'to elevate'. It is the movement by which something is negated yet also preserved at a higher level within Hegelian dialectics.

Geist (Spirit) — Central concept in Hegel's philosophy denoting the consciousness, reason, or universal spirit that unfolds through history. It is not simply the individual mind but the collective and absolute dimension of thought.

Sittlichkeit (ethical life) — Hegelian concept denoting concrete morality as lived within social institutions (family, civil society, the State), as opposed to Kant's abstract morality. It is ethics embodied in the customs of a community.

Privatdozent — German academic status from the early 19th century designating an instructor not salaried by the university, living off fees paid directly by students. Hegel held this precarious position in Jena before obtaining a professorial chair.

German Idealism (Deutscher Idealismus) — Dominant philosophical movement in Germany between 1780 and 1830, represented by Kant, Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel. These thinkers held that reality is fundamentally determined by thought or spirit rather than by matter.

Weltgeist (World Spirit) — Hegelian expression denoting the universal reason that manifests itself in history through great events and great individuals. Hegel saw Napoleon as an embodiment of this historical principle in action.

Biedermeier — German and Austrian cultural and artistic movement between 1815 and 1848, celebrating simple bourgeois life, comfortable domestic interiors, and conservative political order. Hegel spent most of his adult life within this cultural context.

Stift — In Germany, a boarding school or seminary, often of religious tradition, intended for the training of clergy or intellectual elites. The Tübingen Stift, where Hegel studied, was a renowned Protestant seminary.

Phenomenology — The study of phenomena as they appear to consciousness. Hegel gave this term a specific meaning: the journey of the human spirit through its various forms of consciousness up to absolute knowledge.

Gallery

German: Bildnis des Philosophen Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Berlin 1831The Philosopher Georg Friedrich Wilhelm Hegeltitle QS:P1476,de:"Bildnis des Philosophen Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Berli

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Visual Style

Esthétique allemande Biedermeier et romantique, mêlant l'austérité sombre des intérieurs bourgeois prussiens à la grandeur néoclassique des institutions universitaires berlinoises.

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AI Prompt

Early 19th century German Romantic and Biedermeier aesthetic. Dark, austere study lined with leather-bound volumes, candlelight casting warm shadows on wooden furniture. Oil portrait style reminiscent of Schlesinger or Friedrich: precise brushwork, somber palette with deep browns, blacks and muted grays, occasional warm ochre. Prussian Berlin architecture in the background: neoclassical columns, stone facades. Dense manuscript pages covered in Gothic script. Contrasting atmosphere between intimate bourgeois interiors and grand Napoleonic historical panoramas suggesting the drama of history.

Sound Ambience

Atmosphère studieuse et austère d'une ville universitaire prussienne du début du XIXe siècle, mêlant le silence du cabinet de travail aux bruits de la rue berlinoise et aux débats des cercles intellectuels.

AI Prompt

Early 19th century German university city ambiance. Quill scratching on paper in a quiet study, pages turning slowly. Distant church bells ringing the hours in a Protestant Prussian city. Street noise of Berlin: horse hooves on cobblestones, vendors calling, carriage wheels. University lecture hall with a professor's deliberate voice echoing under high ceilings, students writing hurriedly. Evening: a heated philosophical discussion around a table, wine being poured, candlelight crackling. In the background, faint echoes of military drums and Napoleonic era marches from a nearby parade ground.

Portrait Source

Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0 — Joachim Schmid, FG RZ, FA Geisenheim — 2009