Texts and Commentary: Hegel's Preface to His System in a New Translation with Commentary on Facing Pages & Who Thinks Abstractly?

by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Herbert Marcuse called the preface to Hegel's Phenomenology "one of the greatest philosophical undertakings of all times." This summary of Hegel's system of philosophy is now available in English translation with commentary on facing pages. While remaining faithful to the author's meaning, Walter Kaufmann has removed many encumbrances inherent in Hegel's style.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) was a German philosopher and one of the founding figures of German Idealism. Influenced by Kant's transcendental idealism and Rousseau's politics, Hegel formulated an elaborate system of historical development of ethics, government, and religion through the dialectical unfolding of the Absolute. Hegel was one of the most well-known historicist philosopher, and his thought presaged continental philosophy, including postmodernism. His system was inverted into a materialist ideology by Karl Marx, originally a member of the Young Hegelian faction.

Reviews

[افلا]

ترجمهٔ بسیار زیبا و جذاب از صالح نجفی
این جستار بسیار کوتاه (۵ ص) رو می‌تونید در کانال تلگرامی «نطقیات» پیدا کنید، یا از خودم بخواید بفرستم براتون.

این جستار حیرت‌انگیزه واقعا
از اون چیزایی که با خودت می‌گی چرا جهان بعد از این نوشته تغییر نکرد؟ چرا توی تمام مقاطع تدریس نمی‌شه؟
هگل میاد در مورد این بحث می‌کنه که چطور به‌اشتباه ما بدون در نظر گرفتن خیلی جوانب، در مورد یک موضوع نظر می‌دیم.
تفکر ابسترکت یا انتزاعی، درواقع همینه.
درواقع هگل می‌گه شناخت درون خود بستر موضوع شکل می‌گیره، نه از بیرون و از قبل. اشتباهه آدم بخواد بدون زدن به آب شنا یاد بگیره.
مثلا وقتی می‌گن یکی مرتکب قتل شده، خیلیا می‌گن باید اعدام شه. هگل می‌گه انگار موجودیتی که اون قاتل داره (این آدم کی هست، چه کرده، در چه شرایطی، چه گذشته‌ای داشته، دیگران چه دیدی بهش داشتن و…) هیچ اهمیتی برای کسی نداره و صرفا یه فرمولی هست تحت عنوان: اگر قتل آنگاه اعدام
خصوصا که همیشه ما بحث اعدام رو داریم توی ایران به مراتب جالب‌تر می‌کنه بحثش رو.
البته این تنها مثال هگل نیست و از چند زاویهٔ دیگه هم به این موضوع مهم نگاه می‌کنه.

من خیلی لذت بردم واقعا. هگل خیلی آدم خفنیه، و این اولین مواجههٔ مستقیم من باهاش بود.
بیش باد

[Mesoscope]

In paperback, this short volume accompanies Hegel Reinterpreted; the two were originally published in one larger hardcover edition. This book contains Kaufmann's translation of the preface to Hegel's Phenomenology along with a "commentary," which consists essentially of long footnotes on opposing pages to the text, typically consisting of textual glosses, notes about his translation choices, or comments on variations between editions. He also includes a valuable translation of the short posthumously-published essay "Who Thinks Abstractly?" which gives an important clue to Hegel's overall approach.

As I read through the preface I compared this edition carefully to Terry Pinkard's rendering in his complete translation of the book, and both to the original German. Pinkard's translation is similar to Kaufmann's, and both are outstanding, and both constitute a very great improvement over A. V. Miller's somewhat overwrought version.

Of the three, Kaufmann's is the best, and it's a shame he didn't translate the whole work. Pinkard comes very close, though I will grumpily confess my minor irritation that he renders "Bildung," a common German word, as "cultural formation," which to the best of my knowledge is not actually a term in the English language. Given the tradeoffs and how Hegel himself uses the term in an expanded sense, Kaufmann's "education" is better, though I probably would have gone with "development."

In any case, this book is very useful for the English-speaking student of Hegel.

[Erik Graff]

I read this, the foreword to the Phenomenology with a commentary by Kaufmann, while still in college. Later, in seminary, I read the entire Phenomenology.

[Karl Hallbjörnsson]

I didn't like Kaufmann's translation of the Preface to the Phenomenology. Miller's translation is much, much better. The inclusion of Who Thinks Abstractly is a nice touch, though.

[Laci]

I just got to a point where I realized that Hegel renounced Christianity and found himself paralyzed with fear about what comes next

And this is where he landed when that fear consumed him. Maybe one day I’ll finish reading it and my opinion will change

[Kgb Kowboy]

Really good introduction to Hegel's work & project. The commentary helps the new Hegel reader a lot.

[L]

Read "Who Thinks Abstractly?"

[cami]

i read this for goro akechi and goro akechi only. i know that he only paraphrases hegel in-game as a way to position the narrative between him and the protagonist but i decided to take the high burden of reading hegel so i can understand his character more.

i hated this short text so much. i don’t understand how anyone could possibly read raw hegel without ripping their hair out. people say that philosophy is best read when walking — i think hegel is best read when you walk into active traffic. his works on their own are so impossibly and disgustingly pretentious. most of this could have been summarized in fewer sentences. i can’t even give my own favorite line because of how upsetting and disappointing this was.

there’s that funny sentiment i saw online of: “everything I understand about Hegel I got from reading other people instead of Hegel” which is true. i’ve done a bit of studying and everything BUT hegel himself have made it easier to understand

anyways. i love goro akechi. the watsonian explanation for the quotation is because he’s seventeen and annoying and wants to impress you, okay? the doylian explanation is that it foreshadows literally your relationship with him EITHER WAY i think his hypothetical list of philosophers that he reads from sound ridiculous. that’s part of his charm though

[Gilbert Wesley Purdy]

The best possible introductory title. Kaufmann is exceptional, as always.

[oscar]

“only one man understands me..and he not well”
yeah cause even your diagrams require a phd to understand
rip the goat you would have loved our dystopia we live in

[Chu]

not gonna lie this short text grew on me

[Jacob Gash-Karpowich]

2.5 ⭐️ I think I’ll just stick to Marx…

[Matthew]

The preface to Phenomenology of Mind, with commentary on facing page.