Hegel’s Concept of Action

This book is an important gateway through which professional analytic philosophers and their students can come to understand the significance of Hegel’s philosophy for contemporary theory of action. As such it will contribute to the erosion of the sterile barrier between the continental and analytic approaches to philosophy. Michael Quante focuses on what Hegel has to say about such central concepts as action, person and will, and then brings these views to bear on contemporary debates in analytic philosophy. Crisply written, this book will thus address the common set of preoccupations of analytic philosophers of mind and action, and Hegel specialists.

• Gateway book for non-Hegelian philosophers to understand what Hegel has to say about the theory of action • Lucidly written • Hegel is a strong seller in the Cambridge list

Preface to the English edition; Abbreviations used in the text; Introduction; Part I. The Subjective Will: 1. Conceptual presuppositions: person and subject; 2. Intentionality: the form of subjective freedom; 3. Recapitulation; Part II. The Action: 4. The form of the action; 5. The content of the action; Part III. Concluding Remarks; References; Index.

‘The book is exceptionally clear and well-written, the project is original and provocative, and the contribution to our understanding of both Hegel and agency is substantial.’

– Wayne Martin, University of California, San Diego