Georg Wilhelm Freidrich Hegel is now recognized as one of the great philosophers; his concept of the dialectic profoundly influenced the course of Western thought, and — particularly through the lens of Marxist philosophy — continues to exert great influence even today. Yet Hegel himself has often been accused of being a philosopher of reaction: on the political sphere the polar opposite of Marx.

It was not until the publication of Jacques D'Hondt's Hegel en son temps that the vision of Hegel as a supporter of the oppressive post-Napoleonic regime in Prussia gave way to the realization that Hegel was appointed by the liberal wing of the Prussian bureaucracy, that he frequently was at odds with the reactionary forces, and that he supported many of the leading student activists of his day.

Hegel en son temps has previously been translated into German and Italian, but has never before been available in English. Its publication now will be welcomed throughout the English-speaking world by scholars and students alike.

Jacques d'Hondt's profile page

John Burbidge's profile page

Jacques D'Hondt is one of the world's leading Hegel scholars; he has also written or edited eight other books on Hegel's life and philosophy. John Burbidge is Professor of Philosophy at Trent University. He is the author of On Hegel's Logic: Fragments of a Commentary and the co-editor of G.W.F. Hegel: The Jena System 1804-5: Logic and Metaphysics.

"D'Hondt's generosity of spirit makes this book the first that we ought to read about Hegel. So we should be glad to have it here before us, rendered into clear and supple English by John Burbidge and his helpers."

H.S. Harris