True Purposes in Hegel's Logic
True Purposes in Hegel's Logic
This book addresses a key issue in Hegel's philosophical legacy - his account of purposiveness and teleology - that has often been wrongly criticised and misunderstood. In a re-examination of Hegel's account of purposiveness and teleology, Edgar Maraguat explores its connection with the rest of Hegel's philosophy, traces the influence of Aristotle and Kant on its arguments, and closely analyses its place in Hegel's Science of Logic. The result is a new perspective not only on the nature, spirit and goals of the Logic, but on the whole of Hegel's philosophical legacy, and will appeal to a range of readers in Hegel studies, the history of philosophy, and the history of ideas.
- Encourages connections between the historical interest of the topic and contemporary philosophy
- Deconstructs widespread misunderstanding of the topic in the relevant literature
- Adopts a contemporary terminology in addressing the historical discussion of the central topics
Reviews & endorsements
'True Purposes in Hegel's Logic has a rare combination of qualities:Â a cogent and eloquent presentation of an argument, a careful and subtle analysis of the text, and an original yet faithful interpretation of Hegel's project. It convincingly shows that Hegel takes all living beings, and not just human beings, to realize true purposes. This is an urgent intervention on a timely topic.' Andreja Novakovic, University of California, Berkeley
'Maraguat's book … reproduces old questions, but they nevertheless appear in a new form. Furthermore, the book opens up a number of new questions that show not only that the current discussion about teleology is far from over, but also that Maraguat has made a significant contribution to this discussion.' Karen Koch, Hegel Studien
Product details
May 2025Paperback
9781009304962
270 pages
229 × 152 mm
Not yet published - available from April 2025
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction: Teleology in The Science of Logic
- 2. Kant's antinomies of freedom and teleology
- 3. Kant's concept of inner purposiveness
- 4. Aristotle's defence of natural teleology
- 5. The non-truth of mechanism
- 6. The non-truth of external purposiveness
- 7. The truth of inner purposiveness
- 8. The immediate actuality of purposes
- 9. The absolute realised purpose.
