G. W. F. Hegel's Lectures on the History of Philosophy
The Lectures of 1825-1826
Volume III: Medieval and Modern Philosophy
Edited by Robert F. Brown
Preface:
This, the first volume to appear of the English translation of Hegel's Lectures on the History of Philosophy in a new edition, is less a beginning than it is a stage in an ongoing project. Its predecessor and model is the recently completed Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion. Dr. Walter Jaeschke of the Hegel Archiv staff (Ruhr Universitat, Bochum, West Germany) prepared a new and much more critical German edition of the Philosophie der Religion,
working in collaboration with Professor Peter C. Hodgson (The Divinity School, Vanderbilt University), who edited the English edition and translation of it, and with Professor Ricardo Ferrara (Conicet, Argentina), who produced a Spanish edition. As work on the German edition progressed, the decision was made to produce as well new editions of other Hegel works also based on lecture manuscripts and transcripts, and to issue them in a ten volume series (G. W. F. Hegel: Vorlesungen: Ausgewiihlte Nachschriften und Manuskripte). The University of California Press, under an agreement with the German publisher, Felix Meiner Verlag of Hamburg, is publishing all ten of the new volumes in English translation. Since the Vorlesungen iiher die Geschichte der Philosophie are included in that German series, this background is part of the story of how
our enterprise came about.
In his work on the Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion, Hodgson developed and refined the editorial principles that will serve all subsequent volumes in the English language editions. This translation of the Lectures on the History of Philosophy is the beneficiary of that prior labor, as it is of the experience gained by others who shared the work of translating the Philosophy of Religion: Professor Robert F. Brown (Philosophy, University of Dela
ware) and Mr. J. Michael Stewart (retired translator for UNESCO, Paris; now of Farnham, Surrey, England). Hodgson has shifted from the role of editor and translator of individual works to that of general editor of the series. Brown and Stewart are doing the translation of these Lectures on the History of Philosophy, and Brown has assumed the editorial responsibilities. In addition, we are very fortunate to be able to carry over from the former Project to the present one our translation consultant, the eminent Hegel authoriry Professor H. S. Harris (York University, Ontario, Canada), whose advice and criticism greatly enhance the quality of our work. Walter Jaeschke, coeditor with Pierre Garniron of the German edition of this volume (Vorlesungen über die Geschichte der Philosophie, Teil 4, Philosophie des Mittelalters und der neueren Zeit, Hamburg, 1986), has been invariably helpful in the preparation of this English edition, both by freely offering advice and assistance and by providing us first with typescripts and then with page proofs from which to work, prior to the appearance of the
German volume.
Two larger projects form the context or background for the German edition. One involves the preparations for publishing Hegel's Heidelberg and Berlin lecture manuscripts, as well as the lecture transcripts, within the framework of the Gesammelte Werke being produced by the Academy of Sciences of Rhineland Westphalia. In the other, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, is making the history-of-philosophy lectures accessible through a
combination of philosophical, translational, and editorial work. Six volumes have already been published of Pierre Garniron's planned sevenvolume French translation of, and commentary on, the first edition (Hegel: Le(ons sur I'hi stoiTe de la philosophie: Traduction, annotation, reconstitution du cours de 1825-1826, Paris, 1971-1985). The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft has supported his work, under the German-French academic exchange arrangement.
The editors and publisher of the German edition decided to issue first the final volume of these lectures, that on Medieval and Modern Philosophy. The treatment of Greek Philosophy will follow, with the first volume, on the Introduction and Oriental Philosophy, to come last in the order of publication. In this way an extensive editorial introduction explaining the whole in detail can, to best advantage, be written last. Since the English volumes are following on the heels of their German counterpatts, the same publication sequence is imposed on us. As this Preface is being written, the editorial work for the German volumes on Greek Philosophy is still in
progress, and that on the first volume is in its early stages. Hence the Editorial Introduction is not a fulldress explanation of all editorial procedures but only provides information sufficient to make this volume usable on its own.
We are indebted to the following institutions, which made the German edition possible in its present form by granting permission to use, and to publish the contents of, the five lecture transcripts for 1825-26: the Manuscripts Division of the Staatsbibliothek Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin; the HegelArchiv of the Ruhr Universitat, Bochum; the Library of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow Division.
The editors of the German edition received assistance from Gudrun Sikora and Dora Braun in transcribing the transcripts, in checking the final version with annotations, and in proofreading.
The National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Research Programs, provided generous financial suppott for the work on this English edition. The University of Delaware granted the editor some released time from teaching duties. Without these forms of support this timely translation would not have been possible. Finally, many words of appreciation are due to Mary Imperatore and Dorothy Milsom, for typing our seemingly endless versions and revisions on the computer with unfailing patience and good cheer. MsSVig
The Lectures of 1825-1826
Volume III: Medieval and Modern Philosophy
Edited by Robert F. Brown
Preface:
This, the first volume to appear of the English translation of Hegel's Lectures on the History of Philosophy in a new edition, is less a beginning than it is a stage in an ongoing project. Its predecessor and model is the recently completed Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion. Dr. Walter Jaeschke of the Hegel Archiv staff (Ruhr Universitat, Bochum, West Germany) prepared a new and much more critical German edition of the Philosophie der Religion,
working in collaboration with Professor Peter C. Hodgson (The Divinity School, Vanderbilt University), who edited the English edition and translation of it, and with Professor Ricardo Ferrara (Conicet, Argentina), who produced a Spanish edition. As work on the German edition progressed, the decision was made to produce as well new editions of other Hegel works also based on lecture manusc
our enterprise came about.
In his work on the Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion, Hodgson developed and refined the editorial principles that will serve all subsequent volumes in the English language editions. This translation of the Lectures on the History of Philosophy is the beneficiary of that prior labor, as it is of the experience gained by others who shared the work of translating the Philosophy of Religion: Professor Robert F. Brown (Philosophy, University of Dela
ware) and Mr. J. Michael Stewart (retired translator for UNESCO, Paris; now of Farnham, Surrey, England). Hodgson has shifted from the role of editor and translator of individual works to that of general editor of the series. Brown and Stewart are doing the translation of these Lectures on the History of Philosophy, and Brown has assumed the editorial responsibilities. In addition, we are very fortunate to be able to carry over from the former Project to the present one our translation consultant, the eminent Hegel authoriry Professor H. S. Harris (York University, Ontario, Canada), whose advice and criticism greatly enhance the quality of our work. Walter Jaeschke, coeditor with Pierre Garniron of the German edition of this volume (Vorlesungen über die Geschichte der Philosophie, Teil 4, Philosophie des Mittelalters und der neueren Zeit, Hamburg, 1986), has been invariably helpful in the preparation of this English edition, both by freely offering advice and assistance and by providing us first with typesc
German volume.
Two larger projects form the context or background for the German edition. One involves the preparations for publishing Hegel's Heidelberg and Berlin lecture manusc
combination of philosophical, translational, and editorial work. Six volumes have already been published of Pierre Garniron's planned sevenvolume French translation of, and commentary on, the first edition (Hegel: Le(ons sur I'hi stoiTe de la philosophie: Traduction, annotation, reconstitution du cours de 1825-1826, Paris, 1971-1985). The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft has supported his work, under the German-French academic exchange arrangement.
The editors and publisher of the German edition decided to issue first the final volume of these lectures, that on Medieval and Modern Philosophy. The treatment of Greek Philosophy will follow, with the first volume, on the Introduction and Oriental Philosophy, to come last in the order of publication. In this way an extensive editorial introduction explaining the whole in detail can, to best advantage, be written last. Since the English volumes are following on the heels of their German counterpatts, the same publication sequence is imposed on us. As this Preface is being written, the editorial work for the German volumes on Greek Philosophy is still in
progress, and that on the first volume is in its early stages. Hence the Editorial Introduction is not a fulldress explanation of all editorial procedures but only provides information sufficient to make this volume usable on its own.
We are indebted to the following institutions, which made the German edition possible in its present form by granting permission to use, and to publish the contents of, the five lecture transc
The editors of the German edition received assistance from Gudrun Sikora and Dora Braun in transcribing the transc
The National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Research Programs, provided generous financial suppott for the work on this English edition. The University of Delaware granted the editor some released time from teaching duties. Without these forms of support this timely translation would not have been possible. Finally, many words of appreciation are due to Mary Imperatore and Dorothy Milsom, for typing our seemingly endless versions and revisions on the computer with unfailing patience and good cheer. MsSVig