ABSTRACT
G. W. F. Hegel intended his Phenomenology of Spirit to serve as an introduction to a system of his own called "philosophical science", and especially to his "Science of Logic". As such, Phenomenology have at least two main aims. The first is to bring the reader to see the necessity of philosophical science. The second aim was to bring the reader to what he called the "standpoint of science". Hegel fulfilled his belief that philosophical science is not only necessary but also capable of having a real impact on the world. Divisions over the importance characterized the battles between "right" and "left" or "young" Hegelians in the decades after his death in 1831. "Right" Hegelians saw Hegel's later works as providing an intellectual justification for the status quo, the contemporary political and religious order. "Left" Hegelians on the other hand embraced Phenomenology for its stress on historical change and its critical potential.
