Phenomenology of Spirit
by G. W. F. Hegel · Phänomenologie des Geistes
Assigned by 4 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1807
- Form
- Treatise
- Language
- German
- Length
- Long · 600 pp300 to 700 pages
- Difficulty
- Formidable5 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendPhenomenology of Spirit, translated by A. V. MillerOxford University Press, 1977Miller's paragraph-numbered translation is still the one most programs cite; Terry Pinkard's Cambridge version is the modern alternative.
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Hegel's first major book, an account of how consciousness rises through a sequence of shapes, from the bare certainty of the senses through perception and understanding, then to self-consciousness, where the famous struggle of master and slave appears, and on through reason, spirit, religion and finally absolute knowing. Each stage is shown to contradict itself and give way to the next. The book is at once an epistemology, a history of Western culture and an introduction to Hegel's system, and it is notoriously difficult.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Phenomenology of Spirit are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
