Teaching Hegel

Despite the upsurge of popularity, Hegel still suffers from strangulation in the current philosophical climate. This is all the more surprising as so many American philosophers of importance (and not just Royce and Dewey, but Quine and Goodman and Davidson, as well) display clearly compatible themes in their work. The problem is that most Hegel scholars, and consequently most professional readers of Hegel, and again their students, continue to insist on approaching the great philosopher with awe instead of confidence. Although respect is necessary for a fair reading, a good deal of personal chutzbah (not Hegel's word) is necessary to appropriate Hegel. I find teaching Hegel one of my most rewarding courses just because, of all the philosophers of the modern period, he most inspires his students to stretch their imaginations and rethink virtually everything. How ironie, therefore, that his effect has so often rather been to stultify imagination in deference to textual exegesis. Hegel has not yet been wholly rediscovered