A Hegel Dictionary (Blackwell Philosopher Dictionaries) [Paperback]

Michael Inwood (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0631175334 | ISBN-13: 978-0631175339 | Publication Date: November 11, 1992 | Edition: 1

This book provides a comprehensive survey of Hegel's philosophical thought via a systematic exploration of over 100 key terms, from `absolute' to `will'. By exploring both the etymological background of such terms and Hegel's particular use of them, Michael Inwood clarifies for the modern reader much that has been regarded as difficult and obscure in Hegel's work.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the best reference books about a philosopher, highly recommended." Choice

"Invaluable. This book achieves what the Blackwell Philosopher Dictionary series sets out to do. It presents difficult ideas with scholarship and clarity." The Philosopher

'An exceptionally clear yet rigorous and scholarly presentation of difficult ideas. This will be an indispensible guide for students of Hegel at all levels.' Raymond Plant, University of Southampton

From the Back Cover

Hegel is one of the greatest, but also one of the most difficult, philosophers. In this dictionary, Michael Inwood provides a complete survey of Hegel's thought through a series of alphabetically organized entries that explore his terminology. Hegel's innovative use of language, involving the influence of German etymology and his wide knowledge of the history of philosophy from its Greek origins, is a major aspect of his difficulty and obscurity. To enable the reader to understand Hegel's vocabulary, Inwood focuses on approximately 100 key terms from the "absolute" to the "will". The etymology and development of Hegel's terms are examined, together with their ordinary uses during his lifetime and previous applications of the terms in philosophy. German words, their English, Greek and Latin counterparts, are all discussed as a key to Hegel's use of the works and the doctrines he uses them to express.

The book also contains a brief life and intellectual portrait of Hegel, a general account of the use of German as a philosophical language (and Hegel's particular application of it) and a full bibliography.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (November 11, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631175334
• ISBN-13: 978-0631175339
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but..., November 16, 2002

By 

Soren (California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Hegel Dictionary (Blackwell Philosopher Dictionaries) (Paperback)

Michael Inwood's "A Hegel Dictionary" is a great resource. As an undergrad it helped helped me navigate the dense fog of Hegel's philosophy and prose. Inwood sheds light on Hegel's odd usage of seemingly standard terms, such as "negation," which under Hegel's pen bears a divergent meaning.

I was, however, disappointed to find that throughout portions of the text Inwood offers definitions of words without indicating precisely what Hegel means by the word in context. I suppose the implication is that Hegel uses the term consistently, but since Hegel's usage is quite often so bastardized, I'm wary of such assumptions. What a struggling undergrad (or grad) student needs to know is what Hegel means, here, e.g., in "The Phenomenology". Blackwell's "A Kant Dictionary" is much more helpful in this regard: it unpacks the meaning of terms in light of the conext of use. But, you take what you can get. Last time I checked, Inwood's "A Hegel Dictionary" is the only thing of its kind on the market. Thus, I recommend it (at least until a better one comes out - perhaps a new edition?).