Science of Logic

What it is

Published in parts between 1812 and 1816, this work sets out Hegel's system of logic, treating thought and being as a single unity. Hegel wrote it while working at a secondary school in Nuremberg, and he kept revising it, completing part of a new edition shortly before his death in 1831.

Why it matters

For Hegel, logic was not just about reasoning but the rational structure underlying all reality. The book is considered too advanced for beginners, so Hegel later wrote a shorter version in his Encyclopedia. It shows Hegel pursuing his most abstract and difficult philosophical system even while earning his living as a schoolteacher.

Look closer

• Why might a philosopher keep revising the same book for nearly twenty years?
• What does it suggest that Hegel finished writing this just days before he died?
• Why do you think Hegel later wrote a shorter version of this book for students?