Reference no: EM132467530 , Length: 300

Point 1: In the Introduction to the Philosophy of History, after a brief canvas of the different kinds of historical writing, Hegel begins in earnest with his philosophy of history, with a description of the Idea of "Spirit" that underwrites the entire project. Obviously, there are a lot of Kantian echoes, but Hegel puts his own stamp on the idea of history. He begins by affirming that the essence of man is "spirit" (Geist, which in some contexts could be translated as "mind," but does carry a religious meaning too), and that the essence of Spirit is Freedom. The meaning of history, Hegel elaborates latter, is the "realization [or actualization] of the idea of freedom."

Discussion Question 1: Your mission is to write up in one page (300 words more or less) what the Hegelian notion of "freedom" is, and submit on Harvey.

• To do this most effectively, you should read through the entire Introduction to the Philosophy of History (sometimes also published as Reason in History in the Hartman translation)--get a sense of the big picture and of the component parts. Then write your essay. Use whatever elements seem most apt to help you spell out Hegelian Freiheit.