Hegel’s Philosophy of Reality, Freedom, and God

This book shows that the repeated announcements of the death of Hegel’s philosophical system have been premature. Hegel’s Philosophy of Freedom, Reality, and God brings to light accomplishments for which Hegel is seldom given credit: unique arguments for the reality of freedom, for the reality of knowledge, for the irrationality of egoism, and for the compatibility of key insights from traditional theism and naturalistic atheism. The book responds in a systematic manner to many of the major criticisms leveled at Hegel’s system, from Feuerbach and Kierkegaard to Heidegger and Charles Taylor. It provides detailed interpretations of Hegel’s Philosophy of Spirit, large parts of his indispensable Science of Logic, and important parts of his Philosophy of Nature and Philosophy of Right. Unlike many academic books on Hegel, this one treats him very much as a ‘live’ thinker, whom we can learn from today.

• Shows that large parts of Hegel’s philosophy are very much alive • Presents the most complete account ever published of Hegel’s theory of freedom • Provides the most comprehensive guide available to Hegel’s philosophy of freedom, the mind, and the foundation of ethics and politics

1. Introduction; 2. Naturalism, Plato, Kant, and Hegel on reason, freedom, responsibility, ethics, and God; 3. Reality, freedom and God; 4. Identity, contradiction, actuality, and freedom; 5. Freedom, God, and refutation of rational egoism; 6. Nature, freedom, ethics, and God; 7. Conclusions.

‘… invaluable and highly original because of the extensive textual details with which it substantiates its reading … an exemplary apologetic for Hegel that is bound to receive a wide and close reading.’

– Karl Ameriks, University of Notre Dame