Domenico Losurdo, Hegel and the Freedom of Moderns

Domenico Losurdo, Hegel and the Freedom of Moderns

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Available in English for the first time, Hegel and the Freedom of Moderns revives discussion of the major political and philosophical tenets underlying contemporary liberalism through a revolutionary interpretation of G. W. F. Hegel’s thought. Domenico Losurdo, one of the world’s leading Hegelians, reveals that the philosopher was fully engaged with the political controversies of his time. In so doing, he shows how the issues addressed by Hegel in the nineteenth century resonate with many of the central political concerns of today, among them questions of community, nation, liberalism, and freedom. Based on an examination of Hegel’s entire corpus—including manuscripts, lecture notes, different versions of texts, and letters—Losurdo locates the philosopher’s works within the historical contexts and political situations in which they were composed.

Hegel and the Freedom of Moderns persuasively argues that the tug of war between “conservative” and “liberal” interpretations of Hegel has obscured and distorted the most important aspects of his political thought. Losurdo unravels this misleading dualism and provides an illuminating discussion of the relation between Hegel’s political philosophy and the thinking of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. He also discusses Hegel’s ideas in relation to the pertinent writings of other major figures of modern political philosophy such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Locke, Edmund Burke, John Stuart Mill, Jeremy Bentham, Karl Popper, Norberto Bobbio, and Friedrich Hayek.

Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel: Plasticity, Temporality and Dialectic

Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel: Plasticity, Temporality and Dialectic

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This book is one of the most important recent books on Hegel, a philosopher who has had a crucial impact on the shape of continental philosophy. Published here in English for the first time, it includes a substantial preface by Jacques Derrida in which he explores the themes and conclusions of Malabou's book. The Future of Hegel: Plasticity, Temporality and Dialectic restores Hegel's rich and complex concepts of time and temporality to contemporary philosophy. It examines his concept of time, relating it to perennial topics in philosophy such as substance, accident and the identity of the subject. Catherine Malabou's also contrasts her account of Hegelian temporality with the interpretation given by Heidegger in Being and Time, arguing that it is the concept of 'plasticity' that best describes Hegel's theory of temporality. The future is understood not simply as a moment in time, but as something malleable and constantly open to change through our interpretation. The book also develops Hegel's preoccupation with the history of Greek thought and Christianity and explores the role of theology in his thought.Essential reading for those interested in Hegel and contemporary continental philosophy, The Future of Hegel is also fascinating to those interested in the ideas of Heidegger and Derrida.

G. W. F. Hegel, Hegel’s Logic

G. W. F. Hegel, Hegel’s Logic

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The final, 1830 version of the Hegel’s Logic, known as “The Shorter Logic,” is the most accessible and until recently, the most widely known of Hegel’s mature works, the work which has been most influential among Marxists. In recent years, considerable attention has been paid to “The Phenomenology” at the expense of his mature work. An understanding of “The Phenomenology” is important to understanding “The Logic,” but unlike “The Logic,” “The Phenomenology” was written in a hurry, contains much that is dated and is so poorly structured as to be almost unreadable. The 1830 Logic, which Hegel used in his lectures, is on the other hand, a reliable and structured presentation of Hegel’s mature views.

The Logic is provided with a new Foreword by Andy Blunden which approaches Hegel from a Marxist perspective and will help the novice appreciate Hegel’s importance. Hegel’s mode of writing is arcane, and even this most accessible of his works may be hard for the modern reader to make sense of. This Foreword goes a long way to unlocking the mysteries of Hegel’s writing for the uninitiated.

Few introductions to Hegel tackle the problem of what the subject matter of the Logic is. This is only made clear in his early works, and through an appreciation of his life and times. Andy draws on these aspects to introduce the reader to a powerful and systematic approach to problems which are as acute today as they were in 1830.