Hegel, Europa und "Der West-östliche Divan"

In this paper, Hegel's idea of Europe will be analysed by examining some passages from his lectures and a reference to the Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences. Nowhere does Hegel provide an exhaustive definition of what Europe means, and this in itself is revealing. This contribution then attempts to define Hegel's image of Europe in more detail with reference to his lectures on aesthetics. In particular, the essay will refer to the only passage in the Nach- und Mitschriften where Hegel refers to a poet as a 'European poet': This poet is the Goethe "Der West-östliche Divan".