Hegelianism, Theology and Politics in Karl Rosenkranz: Some Historical Remarks on a Still Relevant Question

Karl Rosenkranz (1805 - 1879) was a towering figure of German university life from the 1830s to the 1870s, but he is now mainly remembered for his Aesthetics of Ugliness (1853, English translation 2015). The present paper concentrates on Rosenkranz's theological (II) and political (III) thought, preceded by an examination of his relation to Hegel (I). The link between theology and politics is made by Rosenkranz when his "speculative theology" culminates in a section on freedom. In general terms it will be shown that Rosenkranz was inspired by Hegel, without becoming a simple "follower." He was an original mind who deserves to be explored further.