Hegel and the Problem of the History of Philosophy - by Thomas Raysmith (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Drawing on the work of major philosophers in 18th and 19th-century German idealism, Thomas Raysmith critically examines G. W. F. Hegel's justification for the claim that philosophy has a history.

While Kant regarded philosophy as ahistorical, Hegel considered it to be a discipline that is necessarily historical, and elaborated a 'logical structure' that was supposed to allow it to have a history. Calling this structure, which Hegel took to be the fundamental structure of thought itself, 'the structure of exemplarity', Raysmith presents it as a dynamic reciprocity between universality, particularity and singularity. He provides a historical reconstruction of the shifting conceptions of philosophy from Kant, through J. G. Fichte and F. W. J. Schelling, to Hegel, and offers a systematic analysis of Hegel's Science of Logicbased on a close, critical reading.

Offering a compelling and novel reading of Hegel's thought, Hegel and the Problem of the History of Philosophyis a groundbreaking work for students and scholars of German idealism and the history of philosophy more broadly.

Review Quotes

"In this highly intelligent, well-informed discussion, Thomas Raysmith persuasively argues that Hegel succeeds in solving a problem that Kant, Fichte and Schelling could not: the problem of demonstrating that although philosophy has a history, it is nonetheless capable of discovering eternal truths." --Sally Sedgwick, Professor of Philosophy, Boston University, USA

"This is a brilliantly conceived book, executed with impressive scholarship and deep insights into the "structure of exemplarity" that Raysmith sees as lying at the core of Hegel's logic and the answer that Hegel offers to the perennial problem of the relationship between philosophy and history of philosophy. It will be essential reading for all those interested in Hegel's philosophy, its place in German idealism, and this perennial problem, more generally." --Michael Beaney, Regius Chair of Logic, University of Aberdeen, UK

"How can philosophy express eternal truths and yet have a history, reflecting the culture of its time? This is the type of circle-squaring problem that confronts all who approach Hegel's philosophy seriously. In this compelling, philosophically sophisticated, and often surprising book, Thomas Raysmith confronts this question head-on." --Paul Redding, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Sydney, Australia

About the Author

Thomas Raysmith is Lecturer in Philosophy at Bard College Berlin, Germany.