Hegel's 'Phenomenology of Spirit': A Reader's Guide

by Stephen Houlgate

Overview

Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit is probably his most famous work. First published in 1801, it has exercised considerable influence on subsequent thinkers, from Marx and Kierkegaard to Heidegger, Kojève, Adorno and Derrida. The book contains many memorable passages on, for example, the master/slave dialectic, the unhappy consciousness, Sophocles' Antigone and the French Revolution and offers a great deal both to the student and the specialist. It is, however, a very difficult book and needs to be studied together with a clear and accessible secondary text.

Stephen Houlgate is Professor of Philosophy and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Warwick, where he teaches on The Phenomenology of Spirit at both undergraduate and graduate level.
He is the the author of Freedom, Truth and History: An Introduction to Hegel's Philosophy (orig. Routledge, 2nd Ed forthcoming from Blackwell 2004) and the editor of Blackwell's 'Hegel Reader' and 'Hegel and the Philosophy of Nature' (SUNY)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826485106
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/10/2013
Series:	Reader's Guides
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Stephen
Houlgate is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick. He is the
author of An Introduction to Hegel's
Philosophy. Freedom, Truth and History, 2nd Ed (Blackwell, 2005)
and The Opening of Hegel's Logic
(Purdue UP, 2006), the editor of The
Hegel Reader (Blackwell, 1998) and Hegel
and the Arts (Northwestern UP, 2007), and co-editor (with Michael Baur) of A Companion to Hegel (Wiley-Blackwell,
2011).

Table of Contents

Preface \ Note on the Text \ 1. Context \ 2. Overview of Themes \ 3. Reading the Text \ 4. Reception and Influence \ Notes \ Guide to Further Reading\ Index

Editorial Reviews

'Concentrating on reconstructing the underlying logic of Hegel's arguments in the Phenomenology of Spirit, Stephen Houlgate provides an exceptionally clear introduction to this notoriously difficult work. Houlgate's introduction will be especially useful for both students and specialists because it is lucid and concise, yet always remains closely related to the text and rests on impressive scholarship.'
Archives de Philosophie (Bloomsbury translation)

'Stephen Houlgate is one of the best and most respected Hegel scholars, and this is one of his best books: it is clear, helpful, and shows a deep understanding of Hegel's notoriously difficult text. For anyone seeking to get to grips with the Phenomenology, this will be an indispensable resource.'
Irish Left Review

Stephen Houlgate's guide is undoubtedly based on years of patiently guiding students through the Phenomenology at Warwick University and this pedagogical intent is its great strength and virtue. It concentrates on the first four chapters of Hegel's book and succeeds admirably in setting out how the logical nature of the arguments unpack themselves. This allows the reader to concentrate on the task of following what Hegel is saying in particular paragraphs without having to grapple with larger questions of interpretation.

From the Publisher