Amicus Alexandre Kojève : A study in his Hegelian Philosophy

Abstract

This paper is a study in the Hegelian philosophy of Alexandre Kojève as it was formulated through his lectures at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in the years 1933-1939. By going through the major elements in his philosophical system, discussing the real and ideal historical development, I have shown how he could proclaim his thesis of the end of history. I have also described the content and meaning of this end. Additionally, besides my main effort to present an objective introduction to his philosophy, I point to certain elements in how he should be understood and why he fails in his aspiration to the final state of wisdom. All in all, this thesis presents Kojève as a politically ambitious philosopher whose primary motive is to overcome Platonism, but as this paper concludes, he ends his propagandistic project in the unfulfilled realm of Kantianism.