| James Harvey Robinson, Charles Austin Beard, John Dewey, and Herbert Croly are all founding members of the American Progressive Movement. However, a thorough understanding of their philosophy remains incomplete. Thus, this thesis attempts to investigate the intellectual foundations of these scholars by comparing their philosophy to Hegel's. Therefore, the object of this thesis is to demonstrate that Hegel's philosophy plays a major role in the formation of American Progressive thought---an understanding of Hegel's political thought helps one to better grasp the philosophy of the American Progressive movement. While Robinson, Beard, Dewey, and Croly have many intellectual influences, a close reading of Hegel's works and the writings of the Progressives teases out similarities between the two. However, Hegel's influence on the Progressives is not self-evident or unattenuated---in most cases Hegel's influence comes to the Progressives through sources other than his texts (e.g., instructors and mentors, readings, and personal relations). Thus, this thesis argues that American Progressive thought represents some variation on Hegelianism. |
