FÁBIO PEREIRA BONAFINI

In the Phenomenology of Spirit, G. W. F. Hegel dedicates a ferocious critique to physiogmnomy, a doctrine that seeks to know the character of an individual from their body and face. Nevertheless, in the final version of his system, the philosopher positions physiognomy in two crucial points. It constitutes the closing moment of his anthropology, in which Hegel provides a deduction of consciousness from nature. Moreover, it assumes a central role in the Lectures on Aesthetics, especially in the presentation of the Greek statue, which Hegel considers the most perfect realization of the ideal. In order to comprehend this apparent incorporation of physiognomy by Hegel, we will follow its relations to the philosophy of nature, subjective spirit and art.