Hegel regarded his "Enyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences" as the work which most fully presented the scope of his philosophical system and its method. It is somewhat surprising, therefore, that scholars regularly accord it only a secondary status. This "Critical Guide" seeks to change that, with sixteen newly-written essays from an international group of leading Hegel scholars that shed much-needed light on both the whole and the parts of the Encyclopedia system.

Topics include the structure and aim of the "Encyclopedia" system as a whole, the differences between the greater and lesser "Logics", the role of nature in Hegel's thinking, and the shapes of absolute spirit as art, religion, and philosophy. This book will be invaluable to students and scholars with an interest in Hegel and the history of philosophy.