Perspective

There are two voices in this book. One is Hegel's and the other is that of the translator Baille. Baille's general attitude towards Hegel's writings are that they are written by a genius and show all of the complexity of that. As such, they are viewed as well worth having astute and highly trained scholars provide guidance for readers endeavoring to go through it.

Hegel was well read in philosophy and highly literate. He did not feel that he needed to write down to his audience. He expected to be read mainly by others in the field and then, later, by anyone else with the mental power and stamina to read him. He was not intentionally unclear, but made an effort to clarify within a context of great complexity rather than simplicity.

The author wrote the entire work in the third person, with very rare self-references. He does...