We are pleased to announce the new release of Niklas Hebing’s “Hegels Ästhetik des Komischen”, (Hegel-Studien Beiheft), Meiner, 2015. Below you will find a short abstract of the book. The Introduction can be downloaded by clicking here.

ABSTRACT
This is the first critical survey to address Hegel’s theory of comedy, satire, and humor in a systematic way, situating them within Hegel’s philosophical system. The book shows how Hegel’s global reconstruction of the history of art cannot be understood without taking into account the essence and function of the comic forms. In fact, the scope of “das Komischen” in its purest form is for Hegel the self-understanding of modern subjectivity. It is an expression of the self-determined human being in its political context and plays a crucial role in shaping the democratic consciousness and in realizing a free “Wirklichkeit”. With his theory of the comic, Hegel demonstrates himself to be a particularly interesting and contemporary figure, providing substantial contributions to current debates.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Niklas Hebing is Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter at the Hegel Archives in Bochum and editor of Hegel’s Lectures on Philosophy of Nature and Lectures on Philosophy of Art. He is the author of several contributions on Hegel, Lukács,  Benjamin, aesthetics, and political philosophy.