Hegel on Pseudo-Philosophy: Reading the Preface to the "Phenomenology of Spirit"

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The preface to the Phenomenology of Spirit (1807) is one of the most widely-read texts in Hegels corpus, and yet we still lack a clear understanding of its aims. Providing a fresh perspective on Hegels preface, Andrew Davis contends that it should be read as an overview of what philosophy is not. Contesting previous investigations that have assumed Hegels purpose in the preface is to introduce the reader to his own philosophical method, Davis moves Hegels positive comments about the nature of philosophy to the background. This is, after all, where they belong in a preface, according to Hegelian philosophy, as Hegel contends that the actual nature of philosophy cannot be presented in advance of specific inquiries. Examining the nature of philosophy through negation, each chapter in the book explores a different form of pseudo-philosophy that Hegel addresses in his preface. Together, they allow Hegelian philosophy to appear in relief as precisely what cannot be achieved through explanation, edification, formalism, phenomenology, mathematical proof, propositional truth, or personal revelation. With an appendix featuring synopses of every paragraph of the preface, Hegel on Pseudo-Philosophy not only offers a jargon-free introduction to Hegels thought, but it also yields crucial insights into the organisation of a preface that has long been decried as haphazard or incomprehensible.

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Many consider the Preface to Hegels Phenomenology of Spirit his greatest philosophical masterpiece, but it is also famously difficult. In Hegel on Pseudo-Philosophy, Andrew Davis shows that it is not just a marvelous introduction to Hegels philosophy, but to philosophy as such, one that guards us against its many simulacra. * Mark Alznauer, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Northwestern University, USA *
Andrew Daviss study provides a highly original guiding thread through one of the most challenging texts in modern philosophy. Its laser-like focus on Hegels contribution to the age-old task of distinguishing philosophy from pseudo-philosophies manages to maintain high scholarly standards, while also reminding us at every turn of our contemporary pseudo-thinking practices. * Allegra de Laurentiis, Professor of Philosophy, Stony Brook University, USA *
What Hegelian philosophy does not want to be This book captures the reader's attention in an original way, describing Hegel's philosophy from what it is not. An ex negativo route through which one of the most complex works of Western philosophy, the Phenomenology of Spirit, becomes comprehensible even to those who are not specialists in philosophy. * Stefania Achella, Associate Professor of Moral Philosophy, University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy *

Author Bio

Andrew Alexander Davis is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Belmont University, USA.