DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY

Mark Alznauer specializes in nineteenth century philosophy, especially the work of German philosopher G. W. F. Hegel.  His interests include the history of metaphysics, practical philosophy, social theory, and aesthetics.  He is the author of Hegel’s Theory of Responsibility and has recently finished a second project on Hegel’s Encyclopedia system tentatively entitled Hegel’s Sole Idea.  Among his current projects are essays on the pragmatist critique of rationalism, on Weber’s notion of value-freedom, and on the legacy of historical materialism.  Alznauer regularly teaches introductory courses in critical theory, existentialism, and the philosophy of religion.  He has a B.A. from St. John’s College (Annapolis) and a Ph.D. from the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago (2008).  He is currently the President of the Hegel Society of America (2024-26).

Selected Publications:

• Hegel’s Theory of Responsibility (Cambridge University Press, 2015).
• “Untrue Concepts in Hegel’s Logic” in Journal of the History of Philosophy(2023). [Recipient of the Journal of the History of PhilosophyArticle Prize 2023 and included in Philosopher’s Annual, volume 43, as one of the top ten philosophy papers from 2023.]
• “Humor and Metaphysical Truth” in Crisis and Critique(2023).  
• “Alle sind frei: Hegel’s Philosophy of History as Liberal Apologetics” in Hegel’s Philosophy of Right: Critical Perspectives on Freedom and History(Routledge), ed. Dean Moyar, Sebastian Rand, and Kate Padgett Walsh (2022).  
• “Hegel on Aesthetic Reconciliation” in Hegel’s Political Aesthetics (Bloomsbury), ed. Stefan Bird-Pollan and Vladimir Marchenkov (2020).  
• “Rival Versions of Objective Spirit” in Hegel Bulletin(2016).