| book details |

The First German Philosopher: The Mysticism of Jakob Böhme as Interpreted by Hegel

By (author) Cecilia Muratori

| on special |

normal price: R 4 173.95

Price: R 3 756.95

| add to trolley |

| book description |

This book investigates Hegelâ€™s interpretation of the mystical philosophy of Jakob BÃ¶hme (1575-1624), considered in the context of the reception of BÃ¶hme in the 18th and 19th centuries, and of Hegelâ€™s own understanding of mysticism as a philosophical approach. The three sections of this book present: the historical background of Hegelâ€™s encounter with BÃ¶hmeâ€™s writings; the development of two different conceptions of mysticism in Hegelâ€™s work; and finally Hegelâ€™s approach to BÃ¶hmeâ€™s philosophy, discussing in detail the references to BÃ¶hme both in published writings and manuscripts. According to Hegel, BÃ¶hme is â€œthe first German philosopherâ€. The reason for placing BÃ¶hme at the very beginning of German philosophy is that Hegel considers him to be a profound thinker, despite his rudimentary education. Hegelâ€™s fascination with BÃ¶hme mainly concerns the mysticâ€™s understanding of the symbiotic relation between God and his opposite, the Devil: he considers this to be the true speculative core of BÃ¶hmeâ€™s thought. By interpreting BÃ¶hme, Hegel intends to free the speculative content of his thought from the limitations of the inadequate, barbarous form in which the mystic expressed it, and also to liberate BÃ¶hme from the prejudices surrounding his writings, placing him firmly in the territory of philosophy and detaching him from the obscurity of esotericism. Combining historical reconstructions and philosophical argumentation, this book guides the reader through an important phase in German philosophy, and ultimately into an inquiry about the relationship between mysticism and philosophy itself.