Is the Universe a Sensible Place?

A new biography of the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, "Hegel's World" by Jürgen Kaube, seeks to illuminate the man behind his complex ideas and prompt reflection on the current state of the world.

The book, which received Germany's non-fiction book prize in 2021 and has now been translated into Swedish, uses a quote from Hegel in 1810 to illustrate his philosophical outlook. "The wind hung in the air for a long time without starting to blow," Hegel wrote to a friend, recalling a French weather report. He found this observation uplifting because it implied that existence is not solely about what is, but also about what is in the process of becoming. For Hegel, nothing is self-identical; the wind's presence is felt even in stillness, a concept central to his major work, "The Phenomenology of Spirit."

Kaube uses this weather observation as a lens into Hegel's state of mind at the time. Hegel was serving as headmaster of a school in Nuremberg, and while he had published "The Phenomenology of Spirit," its success was limited. He was a philosopher among many, lacking widespread recognition. The biography aims to explore the human dimension of this influential thinker, bridging the gap between his personal life and his profound philosophical contributions.

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The wind hung in the air for a long time without starting to blow.