Routledge Dialectics, Politics, and the Contemporary Value of Hegel's Practical Philosophy: 02 (Routledge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Philosophy)

This book explores and details the actuality (Aktualität) of Hegel’s social and political philosophy--its relevance, topicality, and contemporary validity. It asserts--against the assumptions of those in a wide range of traditions--that Hegel’s thought not only remains relevant to debates in current social and political theory, but is capable of productively enhancing and enriching those debates. The book is divided into three main sections. Part 1 considers the actuality of Hegel’s social and political thought in the context of a constructed dialogues with later social and political theorists, including Marx, Adorno, Habermas, and Rawls. Part 2 explores Hegel’s internal criticism of Enlightenment rationality as well as the unique manner in which his thought reaffirms both the classical tradition of politics and the Christian conception of freedom in order to deepen and further develop our understanding of modernity and modern secularity. Part 3 considers Hegel’s contribution to current theorizing about globalization. Review "To be sure, establishing contemporary value is hardly the only reason to study the history of philosophy, and one might think that such an emphasis can obscure much of what is interesting and valuable in learning from the past. So we can take Andrew Buchwalter's attempt to show how Hegel's practical philosophy has contemporary value to be a project of distinctive ambition. It is a project that he pursues carefully, developing arguments informed by extensive knowledge of the relevant debates and sensitive to troubling issues of our period." – Richard T. Peterson, Michigan State University, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews "The work’s encyclopaedic structure is advantageous for Hegelian scholars focusing on a specific philosophical or political issue, as well as to a wider audience. The chapters are concise and clearly articulated and most arguments are backed by a comprehensive account of the original sources (Kant, Hegel, Hobbes, as well as Marx, Adorno, Rawls and Habermas, among others), ‘classic’ commentators, more recent critical contributions and even recently discovered lecture versions of Hegel’s political philosophy, which may point to new and exciting research directions." –  Bernardo Enes Dias, New University of Lisbon, Hegel Bulletin About the Author Andrew Buchwalter is John A. Delaney Presidential Professor at the University of North Florida. He was Fulbright Professor at the University of Bochum Germany. He is Vice-President of the Hegel Society of America.