Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was born in Stuttgart, in southern Germany.
Hegel and his father, a minor government official; his mother, a loving hausfrau
(housewife); and his sister and brother were all close, affectionate, and loving. It
is easy to see why Hegel would later describe the family as the “immediate
Ethical Substance.” Following grade school in Stuttgart, at age 18, Hegel won a
scholarship to Tübingen University, where he studied theology. While there, he
met and befriended the poet Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin and the
philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling. The work Hegel submitted to
his professors at the university gave no indication of the brilliant philosophical
career that was to follow. In fact, his diploma from the university recorded that his
knowledge of theology was fair, but his knowledge of philosophy was inadequate.
Nevertheless, Hegel was already beginning to write insightful essays, not for
classroom assignments, but to clarify his own thoughts.
After graduating from the university in 1793, Hegel spent seven years as a
tutor for wealthy families in Bern and Frankfurt. During this time he continued to
write essays—mostly on religious topics—that indicated he had moved far away
from orthodox Christianity. For example, one early essay compared Jesus and
Socrates, and Socrates’ ethical teaching was seen as superior.
Following his father’s death in 1799, Hegel inherited a modest sum of money,
quit tutoring, and joined his friend Schelling at the University of Jena. There,
Hegel became a Privatdozent(an unsalaried lecturer) and co-edited a philosophic
journal with Schelling. While at Jena, Hegel wrote his first great work,The
Phenomenology of Spirit(1807), which laid out the major themes of his philosophy.
This work included a critique of Schelling’s ideas, which ended the friendship.
Before this important work could be published, Napoleon’s war with PrussiaG.W.F. HEGEL
1770–1831
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