Hegel revisited: The relevance of Hegel’s philosophy in contemporary European politics

During the 20th century, Hegel’s philosophy went from being fairly central in a European context to becoming absolute periphery; some would even say it died. For Hegel Europe at his time was an expression of the ultimate development of thought, social organization and culture. The fact that European civilization at his time was an expression of the end of history and the ultimate realization of the absolute idea makes Hegel a thinker who exposes us to a strong, philosophically argued Eurocentrism. Hegel’s philosophy offers valuable insights into what are the foundations of modern European society, including an identification of problems structurally inherent to modernity’s founding principles. Hegel shows how the unfolding of the principles of modernity, including the concept of individuality, is a both historical and educational process uniting the individual and society.