Abstract

There appear to be two rules for writing a book about Hegel. First, one must not claim to give a final, accurate, authoritative interpretation. Perhaps in some fields of academic endeavor, this would be merely pretense of humility; in Hegel scholarship, there is an abiding faith that the open debate of Hegel’s work is essential. Second, it is usually a good idea to claim that Hegel was at least not entirely cognizant of what he was doing.