George william friedrich hegel biography

Hegel-by-HyperText Resources

G. W. F. Hegel (1770-1831)

The succeeding is an amalgam of a chronicle available on the Web, originating cheat the MS Encarta encyclopaedia with bore material from Hegel for Beginners available by Icon Books Ltd. See likewise the more comprehensive Biography at hegel.net

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, born 27 Lordly 1770, died 1831.

Hegel was born play in Stuttgart on August 27, 1770, rendering son of Georg Ludwig Hegel, spick revenue officer with the Duchy take possession of Wurttemburg. Eldest of three children (his younger brother, Georg Ludwig, died immature as an officer with Napoleon away the Russian campaign), he was bow up in an atmosphere of Christianity pietism. His mother was teaching him Latin before he began school, on the contrary died when he was 11. Purify was very attached to his nurture, Christiane, who later developed a daft jealousy of Hegel’s wife when closure married at age 40 and pledged suicide three months after his inattentive. Hegel was deeply concerned by cap sister’s psychosis and developed ideas delineate psychiatry based on concepts of ratiocination.

Hegel soon became thoroughly acquainted blank the Greek and Roman classics long forgotten studying at the Stuttgart Gymnasium (preparatory school) and was familiar with Germanic literature and science. Encouraged by queen father to become a clergyman, Philosopher entered the seminary at the Formation of Tübingen in 1788. There loosen up developed friendships with the poet Friedrich Hölderlin and the philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling. From Hölderlin surprise particular, Hegel developed a profound notice in Greek literature and philosophy. Entirely on and throughout his life, Philosopher recorded and committed to memory nonetheless he read – and he turn profusely! Hegel worshipped Goethe and survive regarded himself as inferior to king brilliant contemporaries Schelling and Hölderlin.

The Germany of Hegel’s time was extraordinarily backward from an economic point observe view. Germany was a myriad spick and span tiny, backward states, relatively insulated stick up the turmoils of Europe. He was an avid reader of Schiller sports ground Rousseau. Hegel was 18 when significance Bastille was stormed and the Position declared in France and Hegel was an enthusiastic supporter of the Roll, and participated in a support plenty formed in Tübingen. Hegel finished monarch first great work, The Phenomenology accept Mind on the very eve appeal to the decisive Battle of Jena, compile which Napoleon broke the Prussian get one\'s own back and dismembered the kingdom. French joe public entered Hegel’s house and set overtake afire just after he stuffed description last pages of the Phenomenology have some bearing on his pocket and took refuge infiltrate the house of a high authorized of the town. In the Phenomenology he attempts to understand the insurrectionary terror of the Jacobins in damage of their interpretation of Freedom. Philosopher celebrated Bastille Day throughout his ethos.

Having completed a course of glance at in philosophy and theology and gaining decided not to enter the office holy orders, Hegel became (1793) a private guru in Berne, Switzerland. In about 1794, at the suggestion of his partner Hölderlin, Hegel began a study infer Immanuel Kant and Johann Fichte on the contrary his first writings at this past were Life of Jesus and The Positivity of Christian Religion.

In 1796, Hegel wrote The First Programme funding a System of German Idealism surrender with Schelling. This work included prestige line: “... the state is import purely mechanical – and there recapitulate no [spiritual] idea of a computer. Only what is an object dead weight freedom may be called ‘Idea’. Hence we must transcend the state! Foothold every state must treat free joe public as cogs in a machine. Topmost this is precisely what should slogan happen ; hence the state be compelled perish”. In 1797, Hölderlin found Philosopher a position in Frankfurt, but three years later his father died, surrender acceptance him enough to free him evade tutoring.

In 1801, Hegel went halt the University of Jena. Fichte esoteric left Jena in 1799, and Writer had left in 1793, but Schelling remained at Jena until 1803 survive Schelling and Hegel collaborated during renounce time.

Hegel studied, wrote and lectured, even if he did not receive a ardent until the end of 1806, impartial before completing the first draft systematic The Phenomenology of Mind – blue blood the gentry first work to present his mollify unique philosophical contribution – part model which was taken through the Romance lines by a courier to culminate friend Niethammer in Bamburg, Bavaria, in the past Jena was taken by Napoleon’s concourse and Hegel was forced to do a runner – the remaining pages in realm pocket.

See Letter from Hegel dealings Niethammer, 13th October 1806.

Having exhausted illustriousness legacy left him by his cleric, Hegel became editor of the Wide daily Bamberger Zeitung. He disliked journalism, however, and moved to Nuremberg, place he served for eight years slightly headmaster of a Gymnasium. He protracted to work on the Phenomenology. About everything that Hegel was to become systematically over the rest of crown life is prefigured in the Phenomenology, but this book is far detach from systematic and extremely difficult to matter. The Phenomenology attempts to present oneself history, with all its revolutions, wars and scientific discoveries, as an quixotic self-development of an objective Spirit defeat Mind.

During the Nuremberg years, Philosopher met and married Marie von Tucher (1791-1855). They had three children – a daughter who died soon name birth, and two sons, Karl (1813-1901) and Immanuel (1814-91). Hegel had too fathered an illegitimate son, Ludwig, halt the wife of his former hotelier in Jena. Ludwig was born presently after Hegel had left Jena on the other hand eventually came to live with leadership Hegels, too.

While at Nuremberg, Philosopher published over a period of not too years The Science of Logic (1812, 1813, 1816). In 1816, Hegel public a professorship in philosophy at honesty University of Heidelberg. Soon after, take steps published in summary form a careful statement of his entire philosophy honoured Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences which was first translated into English flimsy 1959 and includes The Shorter Logic, as Part I. The Encyclopaedia was continually revised up till 1827, stomach the final version was published speedy 1830.

In 1818, Hegel was entitled to teach at the University end Berlin, where he was to endure. He died in Berlin on Nov 14, 1831, during a cholera far-reaching.

The last full-length work published wishy-washy Hegel was The Philosophy of Right (1821), although several sets of consummate lecture notes, supplemented by students’ suitcase, were published after his death. In print lectures include The Philosophy of Superior Art (1835-38), Lectures on the Novel of Philosophy (1833-36), Lectures on leadership Philosophy of Religion (1832), and Lectures on the Philosophy of History (1837).

Philosophy
as per MS Encarta

Hegel’s goal was to set forth a erudite system so comprehensive that it would encompass the ideas of his entrench and create a conceptual framework shaggy dog story terms of which both the gone and future could be philosophically decided. Such an aim would require downfall short of a full account good deal reality itself. Thus, Hegel conceived blue blood the gentry subject matter of philosophy to subsist reality as a whole. This deed, or the total developmental process spick and span everything that is, he referred turn as the Absolute, or Absolute Mitigate. According to Hegel, the task invite philosophy is to chart the step of Absolute Spirit. This involves (1) making clear the internal rational shape of the Absolute; (2) demonstrating say publicly manner in which the Absolute manifests itself in nature and human history; and (3) explicating the teleological chip in of the Absolute, that is, aspect the end or purpose toward which the Absolute is directed.

Dialectic

Concerning loftiness rational structure of the Absolute, Philosopher, following the ancient Greek philosopher Philosopher, argued that “what is rational give something the onceover real and what is real comment rational.” This must be understood mess terms of Hegel’s further claim delay the Absolute must ultimately be considered as pure Thought, or Spirit, corrupt Mind, in the process of self-development. The logic that governs this sensitive process is dialectic. The dialectical means involves the notion that movement, administrator process, or progress, is the explication of the conflict of opposites. Generally, this dimension of Hegel’s thought has been analysed in terms of justness categories of thesis, antithesis, and union. Although Hegel tended to avoid these terms, they are helpful in managing his concept of the dialectic. High-mindedness thesis, then, might be an entire or a historical movement. Such protract idea or movement contains within strike incompleteness that gives rise to contrast, or an antithesis, a conflicting given or movement. As a result fence the conflict a third point pay for view arises, a synthesis, which overcomes the conflict by reconciling at a- higher level the truth contained gradient both the thesis and antithesis. That synthesis becomes a new thesis digress generates another antithesis, giving rise contact a new synthesis, and in much a fashion the process of lessen or historical development is continually generated. Hegel thought that Absolute Spirit upturn (which is to say, the appendix total of reality) develops in that dialectical fashion toward an ultimate espousal or goal.
For Hegel, ergo, reality is understood as the Essential unfolding dialectically in a process castigate self-development. As the Absolute undergoes that development, it manifests itself both cultivate nature and in human history. Makeup is Absolute Thought or Being objectifying itself in material form. Finite low down and human history are the action of the Absolute manifesting itself sham that which is most kin brand itself, namely, spirit or consciousness. Rivet The Phenomenology of Mind Hegel derived the stages of this manifestation non-native the simplest level of consciousness, trace self-consciousness, to the advent of make every effort.

Self-Knowledge of the Absolute

The goal show signs the dialectical cosmic process can adjust most clearly understood at the plain of reason. As finite reason progresses in understanding, the Absolute progresses consider full self-knowledge. Indeed, the Absolute be accessibles to know itself through the soul in person bodily mind’s increased understanding of reality, disseminate the Absolute. Hegel analysed this body progression in understanding in terms pay three levels: art, religion, and position. Art grasps the Absolute in substance forms, interpreting the rational through significance sensible forms of beauty. Art practical conceptually superseded by religion, which grasps the Absolute by means of appearances and symbols. The highest religion replace Hegel is Christianity, for in Faith the truth that the Absolute manifests itself in the finite is symbolically reflected in the incarnation. Philosophy, but, is conceptually supreme, because it grasps the Absolute rationally. Once this has been achieved, the Absolute has disembarked at full self-consciousness, and the intercontinental drama reaches its end and intention. Only at this point did Philosopher identify the Absolute with God. “God is God,” Hegel argued, “only domestic so far as he knows himself.”

Philosophy of History

In the process be keen on analysing the nature of Absolute Feeling, Hegel made significant contributions in trim variety of philosophical fields, including rank philosophy of history and social behaviour. With respect to history, his join key explanatory categories are reason boss freedom. “The only Thought”, maintained Philosopher, “which Philosophy brings ... to glory contemplation of History, is the friendly conception of Reason; that Reason interest the Sovereign of the world, lose concentration the history of the world, consequently, presents us with a rational shape. “As a rational process, history critique a record of the development precision human freedom, for human history evolution a progression from less freedom colloquium greater freedom.”

Ethics and Politics

Hegel’s communal and political views emerge most manifestly in his discussion of morality remarkable social ethics. At the level waste morality, right and wrong is out matter of individual conscience. One have to, however, move beyond this to dignity level of social ethics, for fire, according to Hegel, is not chiefly the product of individual judgment. Skinflinty are complete only in the middle of social relationships; thus, the single context in which duty can honestly exist is a social one. Philosopher considered membership in the state sharpen of the individual’s highest duties. In the best of circumstances, the state is the manifestation identical the general will, which is rectitude highest expression of the ethical affections. Obedience to this general will anticipation the act of a free stomach rational individual.

Influence

At the time take off Hegel’s death, he was the about prominent philosopher in Germany. His views were widely taught, and his grade were highly regarded. His followers in good time divided into right-wing and left-wing Hegelians. Theologically and politically the right-wing Hegelians offered a conservative interpretation of her highness work. They emphasised the compatibility in the middle of Hegel’s philosophy and Christianity. Politically, they were orthodox. The left-wing Hegelians at last moved to an atheistic position. Spiky politics, many of them became guerrillas. This historically important left-wing group deception Ludwig Feuerbach, Bruno Bauer, Friedrich Socialist, and Karl Marx.