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Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics (Penguin Classics) Paperback – January 4, 2004

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 108 ratings

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No philosopher has held a higher opinion of art than Hegel, yet nor was any so profoundly pessimistic about its prospects - despite living in the German golden age of Goethe, Mozart and Schiller. For if the artists of classical Greece could find the perfect fusion of content and form, modernity faced complicating - and ultimately disabling - questions. Christianity, with its code of unworldliness, had compromised the immediacy of man's relationship with reality, and ironic detachment had alienated him from his deepest feelings. Hegel's Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics were delivered in Berlin in the 1820s and stand today as a passionately argued work that challenged the ability of art to respond to the modern world.
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hegel (1770-1831) is one of hte most important of modern philosophers, due to his relation to Marx and the support his philosophy seemed to offer to theories of nationalism and social democracy, and his impact on a range of humanities. He is best known for The Phenomenology of Spirit, The Science of Logic, The Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences, and The Philosophy of Right, as well as his lectures, which were published posthumously by his friends. Bernard Bosanquet was a Fellow of University College, Oxford teaching philosophy and ancient history. From 1903 to 1908 he held the chair of moral philosophy at St Andrews. He died in 1923.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 014043335X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; Reprint edition (January 4, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780140433357
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140433357
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.82 x 5.06 x 0.72 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 108 ratings

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Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
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Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (/ˈheɪɡəl/; German: [ˈɡeːɔɐ̯k ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈheːɡəl]; August 27, 1770 – November 14, 1831) was a German philosopher of the late Enlightenment. He achieved wide renown in his day and, while primarily influential within the continental tradition of philosophy, has become increasingly influential in the analytic tradition as well. Although he remains a divisive figure, his canonical stature within Western philosophy is universally recognized.

Hegel's principal achievement is his development of a distinctive articulation of idealism sometimes termed "absolute idealism," in which the dualisms of, for instance, mind and nature and subject and object are overcome. His philosophy of spirit conceptually integrates psychology, the state, history, art, religion, and philosophy. His account of the master–slave dialectic has been highly influential, especially in 20th-century France. Of special importance is his concept of spirit (Geist: sometimes also translated as "mind") as the historical manifestation of the logical concept and the "sublation" (Aufhebung: integration without elimination or reduction) of seemingly contradictory or opposing factors; examples include the apparent opposition between nature and freedom and between immanence and transcendence. Hegel has been seen in the 21st century as the originator of the thesis, antithesis, synthesis triad; however, as an explicit phrase, this originated with Johann Gottlieb Fichte.

Hegel has influenced many thinkers and writers whose own positions vary widely. Karl Barth described Hegel as a "Protestant Aquinas," while Maurice Merleau-Ponty wrote that "All the great philosophical ideas of the past century—the philosophies of Marx and Nietzsche, phenomenology, German existentialism, and psychoanalysis—had their beginnings in Hegel."

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Jakob Schlesinger (1792-1855) (Unknown) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Customers find the book helpful for students with its commentary and rich literature. They describe it as a genuine gem with a great introduction and superb appendix.

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3 customers mention "Commentary quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's commentary helpful. They say the book is divided into text and commentary sections, providing a good balance for students. The introduction and commentary are also appreciated.

"...Inwood's commentary is very helpful; so is, generally, his introduction, though the beginning is a little off-putting. "..." Read more

"...-blow" and the return out of the conceptual while remaining in dialogue with the conceptual...." Read more

"...and a superb appendix, thus making the book half text and half commentary ... perfect for the student...." Read more

3 customers mention "Literature"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's literature. They find it a valuable gem with an excellent introduction and appendix that make it a worthwhile read.

"...novels or poems, but they produced a spectacular amount of academic literature across disciplines, and towards the end of the 18th century, they did..." Read more

"...illustration (it alone requires a special commentary) this book is a genuine gem." Read more

"This book presents the text with a great introduction and a superb appendix, thus making the book half text and half commentary ... perfect for the..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2021
    I find Bosanquet's trans. generally fluid yet clear (caveat: I have no direct comparison with other trans.). Inwood's commentary is very helpful; so is, generally, his introduction, though the beginning is a little off-putting. "Hegel was born in... the duchy of Wuerttemberg, one of the many small states into which Germany was then divided. Germany was not divided; it did not exist as a political entity. The political entity Inwood is referring to is called the Holy Roman Empire (abbreviated as HRR in German), the most important political structure in Europe for 800 years, for those who have not noticed, and if one wants to gain an understanding of Hegel's context, it does pay to spell it out (I once saw an English history book that mentioned the HRR once (!), and that was in the context of Charlemagne's empire, which actually preceded the HRR; the fog over the English Channel is often extremely dense indeed). Now, that entity did not only include "small states," but also sizeable ones, including the Habsburg Lands and Prussia, whose populations (counting only the population within the boundaries of the HRR) equalled or exceeded Britain's. "Until fairly late in the eighteenth century," continues Inwood, "Germany had no literature comparable to those of France, England and Italy." It is true that, since there was no German nation state, there was also no "national" language, for while the protestant states had largely adopted Luther's German as standard, the catholic ones, i.e., about half of the HRR, had not, and to this day Austria, Bavaria, Swabia have to a degree kept distinct dialects alive), and some writers may have written in Latin (the language of the university) or French (the language of the courts). But in fact the HRR at that time had a very rich literature, and increasingly one produced in an increasingly standardised "high" German--and it pays to understand that during or just before Hegel's childhood in the 1770s the likes of Winckelmann, Hamann, Lichtenberg, Lessing, Wieland, Sophie de la Roche, Herder, Klopstock, Lavater, Lenz, Jung-Stilling, and yes, Goethe and the Sturm und Drang, were all flourishing, producing what may well have been the most diverse, novel and exciting literature on this planet at that time. By 1800, about fifty-five, which is roughly one in four of all of Europe's universities, where located in the HRR (Britain, by comparison, had about seven). Does anyone think that these fifty-five universities did not produce literature (in the broader sense)? Sure, they didn't produce novels or poems, but they produced a spectacular amount of academic literature across disciplines, and towards the end of the 18th century, they did so increasingly in the German language. Why am I saying all this? Because Inwood gives one the impression that before Goethe came along there was "no literature comparable to those of France, England and Italy"--whereas, all considered, the statement probably deserves to be turned on its head: "no other country at that time had a literature comparable with that produced in the HRR." Goethe, thus, did not come out of nowhere: he stood on the shoulders of giants; he also had ample competition (and while it is conventional nowadays in Germany to refer to this period as the "Age of Goethe," is is worthwhile keeping in mind that it is also the "Age of Lessing, Kant, Wieland, Herder, Fichte, Schelling, Hegel, Schiller, Kleist," not to mention the Romantics and tons of lesser figures; in the 19th century, for example, Schiller was generally held in higher regard than Goethe, although Nietzsche thought otherwise). All of this should put into perspective Inwood's next statement: "By the time of Hegel's death [1831] it [Germany] had a great national literature." Inwood appears to be astounded by this, because he looks at literature through the lens of the nation state. This may work for Britain and France, but not for Italy or Germany, not even by 1831. It is true that the French Revolution and especially the Napoleonic Wars forged, for the first time, something like a German national consciousness, and with it something like a national(istic) literature, and that the major philosophical and literary currents of the late 18th/early 19th century, including Idealism and Romanticism, were in part propagated by the political context, but a German nation state in the modern sense did not arise till 1871, and perhaps not even then (because Austria and Tyrol, as well as the Deutschschweiz, did not join). At any rate, Hegel's philosophy did not depend on a German nation state or a national German literature, though it was certainly caught up in the political movements of its, day, but it was grounded in the extremely rich literary context of the late-18th and early 19th century HRR (till 1806; from 1815 the German Confederation). Next, Inwood claims that "the greatest artistic achievements of the period were in music." That may be his personal opinion; but in the early 19th century the expression "Land of the poets and thinkers" was coined and Germans today still occasionally (if not entirely seriously) refer to it--not "Land of composers." Inwood is entitled to his opinion (he does acknowledge that Hegel, like the Romantics, regarded literature or poetry as the supreme art, but of course that is also only an opinion), but it is useful to understand that probably scarcely anybody in Germany in Hegel's day would have agreed with him--and to this day, in Germany, the period is known that "the Age of Goethe," and not as the "Age of Mozart" or the "Age of Beethoven." Inwood's view may be conventional in Britain, but that may have more to do with language than anything else: music needs no translation. The English are not fond of studying foreign languages (and if they do, they study French), so they missing out on what may well be the richest literature in any language; and they do not practice philosophy much (outside the narrow confines of logic, and may not appreciate what it meant to have had Kleist, Fichte, Schelling and Hegel in quick succession (soon to be followed by Schopenhauer, Marx, Nietzsche). It is like having had Einstein, Planck, Heisenberg and Schroedinger in quick succession, if that rings a bell.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2012
    I have already studied Hegel's aesthetics extensively; but as I`ve discovered before, the "lectures" are extremely important for refining Hegel's thought. This volume reflects Hegel's mature thought when he lectured from 1821 to 1831. This volume expands on "counter-blow" and the return out of the conceptual while remaining in dialogue with the conceptual. "Positing" splits in the mature Hegel and this volume explicates that fact. A "must" read for any serious student or scholar of Hegel. Highly recommended.
    21 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2012
    Hegel's Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics is a treasure. My only reservation is the double set of Commentaries and especially the complex way the are numbered and organized which make their use cumbersome. If you add the price and the very challenging cover illustration (it alone requires a special commentary) this book is a genuine gem.
    13 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2016
    I got the wrong book. I was hoping for Lukacs. Just be sure to check before you buy.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2014
    Of course this philosophy book is not an 'easy read', so I have not finished reading it. It would be nice to take a class in philosophy and have it explained by a professor. The classics and philosophy have always held an interest for me.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2002
    This book presents the text with a great introduction and a superb appendix, thus making the book half text and half commentary ... perfect for the student. this text might be a nice way to slide into Hegel. Plus, Penguin Books smell so nice.
    55 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2017
    I got a great deal of knowledge from the academic preface and end-notes.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2016
    Did not like this at all.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars not difficult to read and I certainly learned a great deal.
    Reviewed in Canada on March 22, 2018
    I am not an academic, but the title intrigued me, not difficult to read and I certainly learned a great deal.
  • Shubhranshu saxena
    5.0 out of 5 stars aesthetics placed within the system's context
    Reviewed in India on July 9, 2015
    This book presents the text with a great introduction and a superb appendix, thus making the book half text and half commentary ... perfect for the student. this text might be a nice way to slide into Hegel. Plus, Penguin Books smell so nice. Hegel's Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics is a treasure. My only reservation is the double set of Commentaries and especially the complex way the are numbered and organized which make their use cumbersome. If you add the price and the very challenging cover illustration (it alone requires a special commentary) this book is a genuine gem.
  • Marcolorenzo
    5.0 out of 5 stars ESSENTIAL. Magnificent and with clarity
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2015
    Hegel believes that Fine Art reveals and reflects the Absolute Truth i.e. God. Art is the highest mind made manifest and instructs and raises other minds to greater consciousness of itself. Art is essential for life, since life's goal is the realization of maximum consciousness of oneself (One's mind) and God. Art is therefore a spiritual endeavor, since mind is spiritual. Art reveals the same thing that religion and philosophy reveal yet in a different and sensual way. Art is an end in itself, and IS what it REVEALS, and cannot be substituted by other means even though religion and philosophy reveal the same thing the method of its manifestation being different creates a different effect on the receiver/viewer. History of art studies and art historians know nothing of this true significance of Art.
    This edition comes with very copious notes and commentaries equal in length to the text by Hegel himself (ca. 95 pages of notes). They are in a very clear style similar in style to the test, written by Trinity College Fellow (Oxford) and Hegel scholar Michael Inwood. This work is ESSENTIAL for any understanding of what Art is. The full lectures are available from Oxford University Press in the translation by Knox at quite a high price.
  • Lalithalakshmi Paramasivam
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
    Reviewed in India on August 4, 2019
    Not much to say hence it is just a handbook with limited content
  • ROBIN EDWARDS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good grasp of subject
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2015
    Interesting and varied book on how people view aesthetics. Good grasp of subject.