Franz Rosenzweig’s Book on «Hegel and the State»

Abstract

This paper deals with the significance of Franz Rosenzweig’s Hegel und der Staat (1920) both for understanding Rosenzweig’s philosophical system and for the Hegel-Forschung. Firstly, I present a biographical approach to Rosenzsweig’s work on Hegel and the evolution of his own valuation of his book on Hegel’s conception of the State. Secondly, I expose the reception of Hegel und der Staat among Hegel scholars from the publication of the book until the 1970s. In this way I show the importance of Rosenzweig’s understanding of Hegel’s political philosophy in order to free him from nationalits interpretations as well as from the accomoation thesis regarding Prussian State. Lastly, I explain the biographical affinity which Rosenzweig found between Hegel and himself as well as its philosophical meaning.