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Reason in History HEGEL Translated by Robert S. Hartman U The Library of Liberal Arts 9H Digitized by the Internet Archive 2013 in http://archive.org/details/reasoninhistorygOOhege REASON HISTORY IN The Library of Liberal Arts OSKAR PIEST, FOUNDER REASON IN HISTORY A General Introduction to the Philosophy of History W. Hegel G. F. Translated, with an introduction, by Robert Hartman S. Professor of Philosophy, University of Mexico The Library of Liberal Arts published by THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY, INC. INDIANAPOLIS NEW YORK • Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: 1770-1831 LECTURES ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY was originallypublishedin 1837 COPYRIGHT f9, 1953 THE LIBERAL ARTS PRESS, INC. A DIVISION OF THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY, INC, All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 53:4476 Eighth Printing PREFACE The translation of a philosophical classic into a modern language is a difficult task, no matter how clear the original. If the original itself is not very clear, the difficulties increase. But if, as in our case, the original was never written, but narrated —by a notoriously bad lecturer—and taken down by his, mostly lay, students, the task of translation becomes truly hazardous— as is evidenced by previous English renderings of this text. The German original is not only often ambiguous and ob- scure, but the style is extremely uneven. It continually oscil- lates between the stilted and the colloquial, no doubt because of the manner of its composition. Hegel often reaches either too high or too low, and there is little effort to focus the word exactly on the thought. The importance of Sibree's pioneer translation, which I have consulted and followed in some places, is not to be minimized. Sibree, however, consistently takes the high road; he is complex even where Hegel is simple. I have chosen the opposite approach. In steering between the conservatism of literal translation and the radicalism of trans- literation, I have taken a middle course, slightly right of cen- ter. Sibree's translation has been called baroque; the present translation, by comparison, might be called Georgian. Al- though it is more complete and, it is hoped, more correct than previous ones, it is by no means a definitive translation. This, I am persuaded, would have to be a paraphrase of the original. That, in spite of its risks, the translation was undertaken is due primarily to the editor of The Library of Liberal Arts, Mr. Oskar Piest, whose cooperation, constructive criticism, and relentless drive for perfection were a continuous source of en- couragement. My special thanks are due to Professor Paul Schrecker of the University of Pennsylvania, who critically examined the entire manuscript, clarified many of the obscu- V VI REASON IN HISTORY rities of the text, and made numerous suggestions which improved both the accuracy and style ot the translation. The merits of this translation are in large part due to the help I have received. Its shortcomings are entirely my own. ROBERT HARTiMAN S. CONTENTS Introduction ir Note on the Text xli REASON IN HISTORY I. The Three Methods of Writing History a II. Reason as the Basis of History 11 HI. The Idea of History and Its Realization 20 1. The Idea of Freedom 22 2. The Means of Realization 25 (a) The Idea and the Individual 25 (b) The Individual as Subjectof History 34 (c) The Individual as Object ofHistory 43 3. The State 49 (a) The State as Realization of the Idea 49 (b) Law as Realization of Freedom 53 (c) The Legal Foundation of the State (The Constitution) 56 (d) The Religious Foundation of the State 62 IV. The Course of World History 68 1. The Principle of Development 68 2. The Origin of History "^l (a) The Pre-History of Reason 71 (b) The State as Condition of History 75 (c) The Historical Role of Language 77 3. The CourseofDevelopment 78 (a) The Principle of a People 78 (b) The Dialectic of National Principles 87