10 Friedrich HegelHegel was born in Stuttgart on August 27,1770, the son of an official.Urged by his pietist father to enter the clergy, he registered in the Tubingen Lutheran seminary in 1788.A fair student, Hegel generally preferred the conviviality of cafes and country walks to scholarly asceticism.His love of wine and company, and his interest in practical political matters prevailed over the stern demands of a religious calling.Nevertheless, he studied philosophy for two years.In 1797 Hegel became a private tutor in Frankfurt.His employer owned a fine library and allowed him time to be with friends. Most importantly, he had time to write.Hegel’s father died in 1799，leaving a legacy that enabled Hegel to leave tutoring and prepare seriously for an academic career.In 1801 Hegel also submitted a Latin dissertation on the orbits of the planets and consequently was granted the right to teach in any German university.He began to give lectures at Jena and eventually became one of the better-known lecturers.While at Jena the idea of a wholly reconciling philosophy was gestating in Hegel’s mind.It came to fruition in 1806 as the dense but exciting work Phnomenologie des Geistes (Phenomenology of Spirit),
