There is hardly a realm of knowledge untouched by the philosophy of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. His theories of history, religion, art, and the state remain influential across disciplinary boundaries. In his lifetime, Hegel eventually achieved fame and institutional recognition, his legacy eclipsing that of many initially more prominent contemporaries. His work does not lend itself to easy interpretation or summary. Moreover, his theories inform both conservative and liberal thought. Indeed, Rudolf Haym, in his Lectures on Hegel and His Time (1857), spoke for many of Hegel’s detractors when labeling the once celebrated Berlin professor “the philosophical dictator of Germany”. Others see Hegel as the representative of modernity

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First published 21 December 2003

Citation: Simpson, Patricia. "Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel". The Literary Encyclopedia. 21 December 2003.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2064, accessed 9 February 2010.]