Hegel: A Very Short Introduction

This is an EXCELLENT book. A very, very, rewarding read. The author has distilled out important concepts from Hegel's often opaque writing, and written an introduction that is extremely clear and readable, but without dumbing down the concepts - a very difficult balance to strike. I didn't know much about Hegel, which is why I bought the book, so I can tell you that this book is a great introduction to his philosophy, and is suitably academic but also approachable. I'm super-happy with this book. I know a few of the Very Short Introductions can be problematic, but this is one of the good ones. There are some truly life-changing concepts in this book, especially in chapter 4 "The Odyssey of Mind", so fasten your safety belt! ;) I really can't recommend this book enough. I'm just a random reader - no affiliation or anything, but credit where credit's due. I am also not a philosophy major - never studied it officially. 10 out of 10 for this one, Oxford.

Singer's contribution to this series is a deft piece of exposition, especially given the complexity of the subject matter. Hegel is often said to be the most obscure philosopher in the Western canon, but this guide elucidates his main ideas and is not even too difficult for the philosophical tyro, and as such is an exceptionally accessible read. Some of the other guides in this series take less complex subjects but do not give a clear outline of the main points - the VSI to Existentialism being the one that springs to mind. Here we have a logical presentation of Hegel's oeuvre, starting with a bit of background history, with biographical details and relationship to other philosophers, notably the reaction of Hegel and Schiller to Kant. Then we are introduced to the conception of history as the narrative towards human freedom, in the Philosophy of History, before moving to the more complex domain of the Phenomenology of Spirit, the concept of Geist and finally a brief outline of the Science of Logic, which is as fine a summation of the dialectical process as I have read. The Logic is not featured in great detail because it is, to Singer, too complex a work to be appreciated in a short volume, and the author recommends familiarising oneself with the earlier Hegel before anything as abstract as the Logic can be understood. I would recommend this as essential to students of the humanities in general - let alone philosophy - given Hegel's influence on Marx, and those interested in the western philosophical tradition. Hegel is up there with Kant and Descartes in his influence, and should be regarded as an indispensable contributor to European thought.

The 'very short introduction' series is an authoritative and lively series, introducing readers to important concepts. This is exemplified in Singer's very short introduction, which captures everything that the introduction ought to be. The philosophy of G W F Hegel is notoriously tricky and any introduction to it is naturally going to face many problems; yet to read Singer's introduction you would not think so. There is a great deal of clarity in this introduction, more so than in the works it addresses, and it is invaluable to those who have neither the attention span or motivation to read Hegel's own dense works. The sections are well organised, summarising Hegel's points effectively and laying out a complete plan of his work. Furthermore, the less-than-formal presentation is refreshing and provides an entertaining read. Some have criticised Singer's failure to include important aspects of Hegelian philosophy, including his Encyclopedia of logic, as well as his aesthetics. However, this is to miss the point of the very short introduction; this would hinder the readability of this wonderful 200-page introduction, not benefit it. Overall, I would recommend this work to those who wish to gain an insight into Hegel as either a starting point for his philosophy or for those who wish for only a more basic knowledge.

This is an excellent book. Hegel's thought is incredibly complex and difficult to present in a straightforward way. However, Peter Singer, the author of this work, manages to write a highly readable and engaging introduction to Hegel's thought that is accessible, interesting, and very balanced. He covers all of Hegel's key books as well as the connections between religion and philosophy that characterise Hegel's work. If you want an easy-to-read overview of Hegel and his thought, this book is an ideal place to start. I would recommend it very highly.

I'm taking a philosophy class at the university, and we're covering major western philosophers, and I urgently needed a quick introduction to some of them. Peter Singer does a marvelous job introducing Hegel, one of those philosophers that most find it really difficult to understand. Singer really empathizes with the target audience of the book. He puts himself in the shoes of a reader, completely unfamiliar with Hegel's thought and who wants a quick introduction to his major philosophical ideas. This book is a quick guided journey through the monumental museum of complex ideas of one of the most influential minds of western philosophy. It is truly a joy to visit every room of that museum at the hands of such a knowledgeable and wonderful teacher as Peter Singer. This is indeed the starting point for anyone looking to get a general understanding of Hegel in as short a time as possible.

I wanted to read about Hegel because I am reading Das capital. Wanted to understand dialectics. Though it is a good introduction to hegel the philosophers philosopher, not much is detailed about dialectics

This book helps clarify Hegel’s terminology and what it means. It takes the context of that period of time and the fact that we are dealing with concepts taken from the German language and translated into English - more clear. I was reading, Outlines of the philosophy of right.

I really enjoyed this introduction to Hegel. I knew absolutely nothing of Hegel or German Philosophy beforehand.

Es el segundo libro que leo de Peter Singer. Me impresionó "Una Izquierda Darwiniana" 2000 traducción castellana Editorial Crítica. Me parece relevante la distinción-matización entre MIND OR SPIRIT. Estoy impresionado por la profundidad del pensamiento y la sencillez del lenguaje Es un libro que volveré a leer. Buscaré otras obras suyas. Es un libro para los que quieren pensar. Hago la misma sugerencia que hice en su libro sobre Marx... Hubiese deseado, respetuosamente, lo expreso mostrar la interrelación de Lenin con Hegel a partir de las raíces tomadas por Lenin de Marx y Engels. A mi juicio él, Lenin fue a Hegel para profundizar en la pureza del pensamiento filosófico dialéctico Me recuerda que eso hicieron Mozart y Beethoven al conocer ellos en casa del El Barón van Swieten la obra J.S. Bach. Conocer al Cantor de Leipzig significo un después en ambos genios . Yo opino que ese estudió de Hegel por Lenin fue determinante en la Historia del Siglo XX. El Barón Gottfried van Swieten (Leiden, Países Bajos, 29 de octubre de 1733 - Viena, Austria, 29 de marzo de 1803) fue un aristócrata neerlandés al servicio del Imperio austriaco.