J. M. Fritzman 
Hegel 

GWF Hegel has long been considered one of the most influential and
controversial thinkers of the nineteenth century, and his work
continues to provoke debate in contemporary philosophy. This new
book provides readers with an accessible introduction to
Hegel’s thought, offering a lucid and highly readable account
of his Phenomenology of Spirit, Science of Logic,
Philosophy of Nature, Philosophy of History, and
Philosophy of Right. It provides a cogent and careful
analysis of Hegel’s main arguments, considers critical
responses, evaluates competing interpretations, and assesses the
legacy of Hegel’s work for philosophy in the present
day.

In a comprehensive discussion of the major works, J.M Fritzman
considers crucial questions of authorial intent raised by the
Phenomenology of Spirit, and discusses Hegel’s
conceptions of necessity and of philosophical method. In his
presentation of Hegel’s Logic, Fritzman evaluates the
claim that logic has no presuppositions and examines whether this
endorses a foundationalist or coherentist epistemology. Fritzman
goes on to scrutinize Hegel’s claims that history represents
the progressive realization of human freedom, and details how Hegel
believes that this is also expressed in art and religion.

This book serves as both an excellent introduction to Hegel’s
wide-ranging philosophy for students, as well as an innovative
critique which will contribute to ongoing debates in the field.

Table of Content

Acknowledgements viii

1 Introduction 1

2 Hegel’s Life and Influences 12

3 Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit 31

4 Hegel’s Logic 79

5 Hegel’s Philosophy of Nature and Philosophy of Spirit
94

6 Hegel’s Philosophy of Right 109

7 Hegel’s Philosophy of History 118

8 Hegel’s Lectures on Philosophy and Religion 127

9 After Hegel 136

Notes 154

Suggestions for Further Reading 161

Index 177

About the author

J.M. Fritzman is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Lewis & Clark College