Abstract

Hegel, in the Preface to the Phenomenology, states that it seems not only superfluous but inappropriate and misleading to begin a work of philosophy by explaining the end the author had in mind, the circumstances which gave rise to the work, and the strategies the author has adopted, in contrast to those of his contemporaries and predecessors. If such a preface is appropriate, then it will be an unphilosophical preface to a philosophical work. If the preface attempts to be philosophical, then it seems not only inappropriate but superfluous and misleading.