Essays on Hegel's Philosophy of Subjective Spirit

Although Hegel considered his philosophy of subjective spirit to be of particular importance, it has been the focus of little present-day scholarship, particularly in English. Recent editorial work associated with the publication of a new edition of Hegel's Gesammelte Werke and the discovery and translation of a transcript of one of his lecture courses on the topic, however, have set the stage for a fresh encounter with this fascinating and wide-ranging component of his thought. Taking up questions central to the philosophy of mind and body and to the philosophy of psychology, the Philosophy of Subjective Spirit includes discussions of feelings and emotions, consciousness, habit and free will, and rationality--as well as madness, dreams, and the paranormal. Situating Hegel's philosophy on the topic in relation to the rest of his work, to his contemporaries, and to current philosophy of mind and psychology, this volume demonstrates its richness as a focus of study and paves the way for a new direction in Hegel scholarship.