In this book, John H. Smith investigates the influences of classical and humanistic rhetoric on Hegel's theory and practice of philosophical representation. Smith focuses on Hegel's concept of Bildung (roughly, education, development, or formation), which occupies a central position in his philosophy. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the author demonstrates that Hegel's philosophy of Bildung depends on his own Bildung as a writer of philosophy-a formative education that followed the principles of traditional rhetorical systems. In addition, Smith provides an analysis of each stage of Hegel's philosophy in terms of a different rhetorical strategy that he finds governing Hegel's writing. By examining how rhetoric enters into the formation of Hegel's anti-rhetorical dialectics, Smith reveals the origins of numerous contradictory strategies in Hegel's thought.
The first book in any language to explore the rhetorical background of Hegel's philosophy, The Spirit and Its Letter addresses issues at the intersection of contemporary literary theory, philosophy, rhetoric, and intellectual history.