Vorlesungen über die Philosophie der Weltgeschichte, Bd. VIII

What it is

This is volume eight of a German collected edition of Hegel's works, published in 1917, containing part of his lectures on the philosophy of world history, specifically on the Oriental world. It is written in Hegel's original German.

Why it matters

Hegel's lectures on world history argued that history follows a pattern of development through different civilizations and periods. This volume shows how his lecture notes were later edited and published by others, long after he had delivered them, and preserved for German readers in his own language.

Look closer

• Why might it matter that this text is in Hegel's original German rather than in translation?
• What does the editor's preface suggest about the work needed to prepare lecture notes for publication?
• What might be gained or lost when lecture notes are edited and published after a thinker's death?