Hegel's philosophy is notoriously difficult to understand. In order to make this fascinating and influential thinker more accessible, Ivan Soll attempts to locate, explicate, and evaluate the essence of Hegel's philosophy. this book focuses on the core of Hegel's writings, three of his four published works: Phenomenology of the spirit, Science of logic, and Encyclopedia of the philosophical sciences. Soll stresses their often overlooked continuity and presents them as elements of a single philosophic enterprise. he emphasizes hegel's prefaces and introductions as especially rich sources of Hegel's own conception of the basic problems confronting him as a philosopher. Quotations newly translated by the author are frequently included. --