Hegel's Metaphysics of Being: An Ontological Reading of the "Lesser" Logic
Published on 9. October 2025
Book
Hardback
184 pages
978-90-04-74263-5 (ISBN)
Description
Hegel's Encyclopedia ("Lesser") Logic and its Additions represent his definitive work (1830) on fundamental ontology, whose goal is to deduce purposive nature, the subject of the subsequent book in Hegel's system, the Philosophy of Nature. While commentators have snubbed the "Lesser" Logic in favor of its "Greater" sibling, the Encyclopedia Logic's posthumous, student-note Additions invite us into Hegel's notoriously challenging metaphysical thought, offering lively references to his world and times. Further, in the Additions, we hear the thinker himself and feel the strength of his belief that even the most speculative philosophy is meant to be taught, understood and enjoyed.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Leiden
Netherlands
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
435 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-04-74263-5 (9789004742635)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Jeffrey Reid is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Ottawa and the author of numerous articles on Hegel in specialized journals. His monograph books include Hegel's Grammatical Ontology: Vanishing Words and Hermeneutical Openness in the Phenomenology of Spirit (2021).
Content
Acknowledgments
Textual Considerations
Introduction: Logic as Fundamental Ontology
Preconception (Vorbegriff): Metaphysical Preconceptions of the Day and the Need for Speculative Philosophy
?Preconception 1: the Reality of Thought
?Preconception 2: the First Position of Thought toward Objectivity: Pre-critical Metaphysics
?Preconception 3: Second Position of Thought toward Objectivity: Empiricism and Criticism
?Preconception 4: the Third Position of Thought toward Objectivity: Immediate Knowing
?More Precise Conception (Closer Concept) and Division of the Logic
1 Objective Logic
Being and Essence
?1 The Doctrine of Being
??1.1 Being as Quality
??1.2 Being as Quantity
??1.3 Being as Measure
?2 The Doctrine of Essence
??2.1 Essence as Ground of Existence Determinations of Reflection: Identity, Difference and Existing Things
??2.2 Essence as Phenomenon: Relations of Meaningful Appearance
??2.3 Essence as Actuality: the World as We've Come to Know It
2 Subjective Logic
Enlivening Being
?1 The Doctrine of the Concept
??1.1 The Subjective Concept
??1.2 The Concept as Object
??1.3 The Idea: Life and Thought
3 The Absolute Idea
A Concluding Disclosure
Bibliography
index
Textual Considerations
Introduction: Logic as Fundamental Ontology
Preconception (Vorbegriff): Metaphysical Preconceptions of the Day and the Need for Speculative Philosophy
?Preconception 1: the Reality of Thought
?Preconception 2: the First Position of Thought toward Objectivity: Pre-critical Metaphysics
?Preconception 3: Second Position of Thought toward Objectivity: Empiricism and Criticism
?Preconception 4: the Third Position of Thought toward Objectivity: Immediate Knowing
?More Precise Conception (Closer Concept) and Division of the Logic
1 Objective Logic
Being and Essence
?1 The Doctrine of Being
??1.1 Being as Quality
??1.2 Being as Quantity
??1.3 Being as Measure
?2 The Doctrine of Essence
??2.1 Essence as Ground of Existence Determinations of Reflection: Identity, Difference and Existing Things
??2.2 Essence as Phenomenon: Relations of Meaningful Appearance
??2.3 Essence as Actuality: the World as We've Come to Know It
2 Subjective Logic
Enlivening Being
?1 The Doctrine of the Concept
??1.1 The Subjective Concept
??1.2 The Concept as Object
??1.3 The Idea: Life and Thought
3 The Absolute Idea
A Concluding Disclosure
Bibliography
index