German Classical Philosophy

Philosophy of G.W.F. Hegel

Life and Works of G.W.F. Hegel

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) was born in Stuttgart, Germany, where his father held a respectable position in the civil service. At the age of fourteen, Hegel lost his mother, whom he fondly remembered throughout his life. He received his education in Stuttgart, where he attended home schooling, a Latin school, and a gymnasium, excelling as a student at every stage. From 1788 to 1793, Hegel was a theology student at the University of Tübingen, where he studied philosophy during the first two years and obtained his master's degree. He eventually renounced a clerical career, aspiring instead to become a professor of philosophy, and opted to work as a private tutor in the interim. His teaching stints in Bern and later Frankfurt lasted a full eight years, during which he did not cease his philosophical pursuits.

Beginning in 1801, Hegel settled in Jena, where he spent seven years initially as a lecturer and then as a professor at the university. He taught courses on the history of philosophy, logic, metaphysics, and the Phenomenology of Spirit. His time in Jena culminated in the publication of one of his major works, Phenomenology of Spirit.

Following this, he served as the director of a gymnasium in Nuremberg for seven years, a period marked by intense labor. From 1816 to 1818, Hegel was a professor at Heidelberg University, where he taught his developed encyclopedia of philosophical sciences, as well as the history of philosophy and logic. In 1818, he received an invitation to become a professor at Berlin University, a position he held until his death in 1831. In the last two years of his life, he served as the rector of the university.

Among the significant works published by Hegel, in addition to Phenomenology of Spirit, are Science of Logic, Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences, and Philosophy of Right. After his death, his published works were supplemented by lecture notes that formed a series of volumes on the history of philosophy, aesthetics, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of history.

Having thoroughly absorbed the achievements of European philosophical thought and possessing a keen understanding of the philosophical landscape in Germany, Hegel clearly recognized his place within it and set about realizing his own intentions. These intentions involved, as was customary at the time, the creation of a comprehensive philosophical system, encompassing everything from the understanding of philosophy’s subject matter to the elucidation of peripheral questions. The central work that encapsulates Hegel's vision and serves as a key to understanding his philosophical system is Phenomenology of Spirit.