The Philosophy of Action Revisited: Herzen and Cieszkowski in a Hegelian Perspective

The article refutes the importance of the works of August Cieszkowski in the intellectual development of Alexander Herzen, trying to determine the level of influence or impact on the structure of the arguments put forward by the Russian thinker. Questions are raised about the connection between Cieszkowski and Hegel and the Hegelian Left and the significance of the statement that Hegel’s philosophy becomes a means of revenge for Herzen. The trailblazing works by Gustav Shpet and Andrzej Walicki, who both devoted a lot of space to the analysis of this relationship, are the main points of reference in this endeavor.