Level 41
1 day < 1 min
LeaderboardGuest · Log in
Contemporary Philosophy

Hegel and Absolute Idealism

Hegel's dialectical system, which sought to complete German Idealism by grasping reality as the historical self-development of Spirit.

60-Second Review

Express review

A condensed, point-by-point summary of the module, for reviewing right before a test or exam.

  1. Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit and the Dialectic of Consciousness. Hegel's 1807 Phenomenology traces consciousness's dialectical education toward Absolute Knowing.
  2. The Master-Slave Dialectic and Recognition. Two self-consciousnesses' struggle for recognition ends in an unstable lordship and bondage.
  3. Hegel's Logic: Being, Essence, and the Concept. The Science of Logic derives Being, Essence, and the Concept as pure thought-determinations.
  4. Hegel's Philosophy of History and the Cunning of Reason. History is reason's cunning realization of freedom through world-historical individuals' passions.
  5. Hegel's Philosophy of Right: Family, Civil Society, and the State. The Philosophy of Right grounds ethical life in family, civil society, and the rational state.
  6. The Young Hegelians and the Fracturing of the Hegelian School. Hegel's school split into Right defenders and Left Hegelians who radicalized his critique.
  7. Hegel's Absolute Idealism versus Schelling and Fichte. Hegel broke with Schelling's intuited Absolute, demanding mediated, systematic self-knowledge.
  8. Hegel's Reception in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Thought. Hegel's dialectic shaped Marxism, existentialism, British Idealism, and 20th-century French thought.

This module continues after "20th- and 21st-Century Philosophy" in the syllabus. If you haven't reviewed it yet, it may help set the context.

Key points

Visual module map

1Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit and the Dialectic of Consciousness
2Hegel's Logic: Being, Essence, and the Concept
3Hegel's Philosophy of Right: Family, Civil Society, and the State
4The Young Hegelians and the Fracturing of the Hegelian School
5Hegel's Reception in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Thought

Alternative visual view: a simplified sequence of some of the module's key points, in their order within the syllabus.

Your module mastery

0% (overall measurement)
Approximate breakdown by skill
Understanding of historiographical debate0%

A rough estimate based on the key points reviewed, not an exact measurement of actual mastery.

Final test

You need to review all key points to unlock the final test.

Optional mini-games

Extra practice, with no penalty, to reinforce the module's content.

Review Flashcards

Review each key point with cards that flip to reveal the summary.

Memory

Match each concept with its definition in as few attempts as possible.

Time Attack

Answer true or false statements before time runs out.

Chronological Order

Put the module's key points back in their original order.

Further reading

Bibliography and cited sources used to create this module.

  • Hegel, G.W.F. (1977 [1807]). Phenomenology of Spirit (A.V. Miller, Trans.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Hegel, G.W.F. (2010 [1812-1816]). The Science of Logic (G. di Giovanni, Trans.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Hegel, G.W.F. (1991 [1820]). Elements of the Philosophy of Right (A.W. Wood, Ed.; H.B. Nisbet, Trans.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Hegel, G.W.F. (1975 [1837]). Lectures on the Philosophy of World History: Introduction (H.B. Nisbet, Trans.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Pinkard, T. (2000). Hegel: A Biography. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Kojève, A. (1969 [1947]). Introduction to the Reading of Hegel (A. Bloom, Ed.; J.H. Nichols Jr., Trans.). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
  • Pippin, R.B. (1989). Hegel's Idealism: The Satisfactions of Self-Consciousness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.