Hegel (Past Masters) [Paperback]

Peter Singer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1983 | Series: Past Masters

Many people regard Hegel's work as obscure and extremely difficult, yet his importance and influence are universally acknowledged. Professor Singer eliminates any excuse for remaining ignorant of the outlines of Hegel's philosophy by providing a broad discussion of his ideas and an account of his major works. `an exceelent introduction to Hegel's thought...Hegel is neatly placed in historical context;the formal waltz of dialectic and the dialectic master and slave are economically illumined; Singer's use of analogy is at times inspired.' Galen Strawson, Sunday Times `Singer's book forms an ideal introduction to Hegel; to have made so much clear in ninety pages is a remarkable feat.' Anthony Manser Times Higher Educational Supplement. This book is intended for a-level and degree students of philosophy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`Review from previous edition an excellent introduction to Hegel's thought... Hegel is neatly placed in historical context; the formal waltz of dialectic and the dialectic master and slave are economically illumined; Singer's use of analogy is at times inspired.'' Sunday Times --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Peter Singer Is DeCamp Professor of Bioethidcs at Princeton University. He is best known for his book Animal Liberation, sometimes called "The Bible of the modern animal movement," and contributed Marx to the Very Short Introductions series.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 110 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1st ed edition (September 1, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192875647
• ISBN-13: 978-0192875648
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #702,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, December 16, 2005

By 

meadowreader (Sandia Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hegel: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

Probably not very many people will plunge into Hegel on their own, and most of those will quickly plunge back out. As Bryan Magee said, "His writing is almost uniquely obscure -- it positively repels the reader...One can read page after page of Hegel, racking one's brains and thinking: 'What the HELL does he mean?'" Hegel may just be one of those writers best approached through the secondary literature -- at least you will come away with something.

Even if you intend to take the plunge, a preparatory introduction seems like a smart idea. I can't imagine a better warm-up than this little book by Peter Singer. It is a model of clear writing, and I have no doubt that Singer is superb in the classroom. He has taken a good deal of trouble to organize the book so that the reader is carefully shepherded along, step by step, through the ideas and arguments. It gives you the feeling of being in a seminar with a master teacher who really, really wants you to understand the material. This is a true introduction, not a once-over synopsis, a careful job in every sense of the term. Highest recommendation.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Intro to Hegel, February 16, 2005

By 

R. J Szasz "Rod Szasz" (Tokyo, Japan Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hegel: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

If you remember a series published by Oxford in the 1980s called "Oxford Past Masters," this is a revised reprint of Singers original outline in that series (also a good series worth searching for in any old bookstore).

The style is good. I read two chapters on a mountaineering weekend by flashlight and as a result remember his entire idea about the struggle of history being a "striving for the realisation of freedom." His whole definition of Freedom is also adequately layed out in the book.

Although it is asking a lot in 122 pages to lay out Hegel's ideas, he does a good job. He connects Hegel with modern convervatism and you can see where the current obsession in the US Bush admin could come from and there is also the traditional interpretations of Hegal "being stood on his head" as understood by Marx. There is even an interesting section on freewill that has implications for modern marketing techniques.

All in all this is a great book.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview, August 9, 2001

By 

DONALD G. FOX "Santee Sioux" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hegel (Past Masters) (Paperback)

Perhaps some readers do not like Hegel nor Hegelian philosophy. However, it was through reading this brief but informative book, that I came to a much better general understanding of Hegel's intriguing views. Singer really does an outstanding job of explaining complex and frustrating texts to the non-philosopher. Singer's writing is very clear and concise.