Disembodied idealism? A new reading of Hegel

Abstract

Based on a new reading of some passages of the Phenomenology of Spirit and of the section on Anthropology of the Encyclopedia, the essay aims to provide a comprehensive account of the soul-body relationship in Hegel's philosophy. While dealing with the mind-body problem, on the basis of his dia- lectical understanding of the relationship between nature and spirit, Hegel presents a solution that has still largely remained unacknowledged. By reviewing the most significant passages of his proposal, the essay challenges the traditional interpretation of Hegelian philosophy as a disembodied idealism and reassesses its relationship with the sciences of the time.