Andersen, D: Hegel after Habermas

von Dorte Andersen

The social significance of G. W. F. Hegel''s philosophy has been a heavily disputed topic almost since the philosophy developed. Today is no exception. This book introduces and discusses the social philosophical relevance of his thought by paying attention to how Hegel s speculative dialectics unfolds. It argues that the contemporary importance in a social philosophy of Hegel s philosophical project lies in the critical task it performed and that this critical task depends on the recourse Hegel took to speculation. Hence, the book revitalises the importance in contemporary social philosophy of the critical endeavour performed in Hegel s work and it responds to recent interpretations of Hegel s philosophy where the attempt has been to rescue Hegel s philosophical project by emphasising a pragmatic and post- metaphysical dimension to the philosophy. The arguments develop in a textual engagement with Hegel s work and its progression and they rely on ongoing critical engagement with recent social philosophical appropriations of Hegel s speculative philosophy, particularly in the German critical theoretical tradition.