Hegel's Theory of the Modern State

Charming and robust introduction to the political thinking of Hegel, whose byways in the difficult cultural history of the 1820's requires a sound guide to forestall the many misimpressions possible, and actual, as the Hegel legacy shows. The lowkey acuteness of Hegel's ruminations on the state and civil society are not only classic but key to the understanding of the subsequent Left Hegelian hurricane that swept up Marxism in its path. Hegel is nearly a conservative masthead for some, but this book amply documents the complexity of Hegel's real views that Marx knew well, beginning with his youthful interest in implications of Adam Smith and Stuart, and his pessimistic asssement of the limits of civil society in relation to poverty. This strange constellation of contradictions in Hegel, once uncovered, suggests the reason for the explosive impact of his thought on the generation that followed, for good or ill. Highly useful book, and essential for some cautionary clarification of the anti-Hegelian shibboleths too often cast about.

An excellent and fairly concise analysis of Hegelian political thought. For those of us that cannot wade through Hegel's dense writing style, having a guide like Aveneri truly brings Hegel's thought down to earth. While the author sprinkles the text with plenty of quotations, he also does a wonderful job of deciphering what Hegel meant so the reader gets a feel for both Hegel's writing style and meaning.Aveneri does much to clear up some misconceptions of Hegelian thought and paints a very sympathetic portrait of Hegel the man. Rather than an anti-Semetic German nationalist, Aveneri depicts Hegel as being a very liberal and forward thinking philospher. More importantly, this book gives the reader a feel for Hegel's system and view of progress without getting too bogged down in abstract concepts. It does a particularily good job of outlining Hegel's idea of civil society and how it works in conjunction with the political state and the family unit. The summary of Hegel's thought on the progression of the State from the Greek city-state to 19th Century constitutional monarchies is also exceptionally interesting.Anyone interested in history and the big ideas underlying the progress of history will probably enjoy this book. It takes a bit of work to read, but in my opinion, it will enrich your understanding of Hegel and his view of the progression of history.