After Hegel (Hardcover)

"Normal periods in philosophy are times when there is an established and agreed-upon definition of philosophy, and philosophers have a general consensus about the nature of their discipline and the tasks it entails. Revolutionary times, on the other hand, are times when there is no such definition, and conflicting conceptualizations of philosophy exist. According to these definitions, the late eighteenth, early nineteenth, and late twentieth centuries were normal periods. However, the second half of the nineteenth century was revolutionary. This was because this period was one in which there was no established or agreed-upon definition of philosophy, and there were many conflicting conceptualizations of the discipline. Philosophers asked themselves the most fundamental questions about their discipline: What is philosophy? How does it differ from empirical sciences? Why should we do philosophy?"

Against the prevailing view that German philosophy in the second half of the nineteenth century entered a period of decline and stagnation after the "age of idealism" ended with Hegel's death, Frederick Beiser demonstrates with concrete examples that the period's inherent atmosphere of disagreement and conflict made the second half of the century more interesting than the first. This book is a fundamental resource for readers of all levels on post-Hegelian German philosophy, written in a clear and lively style.