ABSTRACT
Hegel’s relation to Jacob Boehme is a controversial topic among historians of philosophy. As I shall demonstrate, it is undeniable that Hegel had a strong interest in Boehme. However, Hegel scholars have often been eager to minimize this and have, in some cases, misrepresented the available evidence in order to make him seem harsh or dismissive in his treatment of Boehme. There is no mystery behind this. Historians of philosophy are trained philosophers, and Hegel scholars tend to be self-identified Hegelians. Many find it simply unacceptable that Hegel might have been seriously interested in (or—worse yet—influenced by) one of the most obscure mystics in the Western canon. To most professional philosophers, mysticism is not merely a non-rational enterprise, but an irrational one: one contrary to reason. Thus, their attitude tends to be that we must save Hegel from Boehme.
