Alexandre Kojève

ALEXANDRE KOJÈVE (1902–1968) was one of the major philosophers of the twentieth century. His famous lectures on Hegel and his provocative end-of-history thesis left an indelible mark on contemporary thought. By the end of the Second World War, he abandoned academic philosophy to embark on a diplomatic career. While occupying an influential position in French foreign trade diplomacy, Kojève worked on a series of manuscripts which largely remained unpublished until well after his death. Initially dismissed as post-historical irony and play, Kojève’s post-war philosophical writings should open new perspectives on how we became post-historical and where we go from here.