A. F. Losev accurately observed in the same year it appeared: "Neither the study of Hegel nor the study of contemporary Russian philosophical thought is any longer thinkable without this book of I. A. Il'in's." Some Hegel scholars may know this work through the abridged translation into German that Il'in produced himself in 1946. However, that edition omitted most of the original volume two. Noted Hegel scholar Philip T. Grier's edition-with an introduction setting Il'in's work in its proper historical, cultural, and philosophical contexts and annotation throughout-represents the first opportunity for non-Russian-speaking readers to acquaint themselves with the full scope of Il'in's still provocative interpretation of Hegel.
Volume 1 is "The Doctrine of God." Volume 2 is "The Doctrine of Humanity."