Introduction to The Philosophy of History

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, born in 1770 and died in 1831, was one of the most influential German philosophers. He taught at Jena, Heidelberg and finally Berlin, where he lectured on subjects ranging from aesthetics to the history of religion. His lectures on the philosophy of world history were given in the 1820s and were later put together from his own notes and from those of his students. They were published after his death, and the introduction has long been the most widely read part.

The introduction is a common starting point for students of Hegel, because here he speaks from the lectern about concrete matters, the events of world history, rather than in the dense idiom of his systematic books. The central claim is that history is not a random heap of happenings but a process in which the idea of freedom becomes real, stage by stage. Whether or not one agrees, the argument has shaped political thought, historical writing and debate for two centuries, and it has been both admired and fiercely criticised.

The English text is the translation by John Sibree, who published his version in the nineteenth century; the edition recorded here is dated 1900. The recording has 10 chapters, beginning with the three kinds of history, and lasts about four and a half hours. It is read by one LibriVox volunteer. It is a demanding but rewarding listen, and a good way to begin on a thinker who is often thought impossible. Hegel’s lectures were delivered to students, and that origin still shows: the tone is that of a teacher building an argument in front of an audience. The recording makes it possible to follow the reasoning at the speed of speech, which many find easier than the printed page.