Hegel and Aristotle

This book systematically examines Hegel's idealism in relation to the metaphysical and epistemological tradition stemming from Aristotle.

Alfredo Ferrarin (Author)

9780521037754, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 19 July 2007

468 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 2.6 cm, 0.697 kg

'There is almost nothing of any significance on the relation between Aristotle and Hegel, and Ferrarin's book wonderfully fills that gap. Everything in it is to be praised. There is the very knowledgeable mastery of the literature on both figures; the use of the text is extremely subtle and gifted; the use of various critical editions of Hegel's work is splendidly accomplished; and there is great subtlety in expanding the senses of various Greek and German terms.' Terry Pinkard, author of Hegel: A Biography

Hegel is, arguably, the most difficult of all philosophers. To find a way into his thought interpreters have usually approached him as though he were developing Kantian and Fichtean themes. This book demonstrates in a systematic way that it makes much more sense to view Hegel's idealism in relation to the metaphysical and epistemological tradition stemming from Aristotle. The book offers an account of Hegel's idealism in light of his interpretation, discussion, assimilation and critique of Aristotle's philosophy. There are explorations of Hegelian and Aristotelian views of system and history; being, metaphysics, logic, and truth; nature and subjectivity; spirit, knowledge, and self-knowledge; ethics and politics. No serious student of Hegel can afford to ignore this major interpretation. It will also be of interest in such fields as political science and the history of ideas.

Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
Introduction
Part I. The History of Philosophy and its Place within the System: 1. The idea of a history of philosophy
2. The arrangement of the Lectures on Aristotle: architectonic and systematic presuppositions of Hegel's interpretation
Part II. Logic and Metaphysics: 3. The Lectures on the Metaphysics
4. The Aristotelian heritage in the Science of Logic
5. Aristotelian questions
6. Essence and concept
Part III. Aristotle and the Realphilosophie: 7. Aristotelian and Newtonian models in Hegel's philosophy of nature
8. Aristotle's De anima and Hegel's philosophy of subjective spirit
9. The political realization of ethics
Part IV. Conclusions: 10. Truth, holism and judgement
11. The pictures of Aristotle in Hegel's formative years
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: History of Western philosophy [HPC]