Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel | |
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 Portrait by Jakob Schlesinger, 1831 | |
| Born | 27 August 1770 Stuttgart, Württemberg |
| Died | 14 November 1831 (aged 61) Berlin, Prussia |
| Spouse |
Marie Helena Susanna von Tucher
(m. 1811) |
| Children | 4, including Karl and Immanuel |
| Education | |
| Education |
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| Philosophical work | |
| Era | 19th-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
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Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel[a] (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher and a major figure in the tradition of German idealism. His influence on Western philosophy extends across a wide range of topics—from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political philosophy, to philosophy of art and philosophy of religion.
Hegel was born in Stuttgart. His life spanned the transitional period between the Enlightenment and the Romantic movement. His thought was shaped by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars, events which he interpreted from a philosophical perspective. His academic career culminated in his appointment to the chair of philosophy at the University of Berlin, where he remained a prominent intellectual figure until his death.
Throughout his work, Hegel strove to correct what he argued were untenable dualisms common in modern philosophy. His principal achievement was the development of a comprehensive philosophical system, often termed absolute idealism, to account for reality as a unified whole. Central to this system is the concept of "spirit" (