Andrew Collier, Marx: A Beginner's Guide (2008), Ch. 8

There is an apocryphal story that, when Hegel was lecturing on the philosophy of history, a history student in the class interrupted to say, 'But Herr Professor, the facts are different,' to which Hegel, unruffled, replied, 'So much the worse for the facts.'

— Andrew Collier

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "There is an apocryphal story that, when Hegel was lecturing on the philosophy of history, a history student in the class interrupted to say, 'But Herr Professor, the facts are different,' to which Hegel, unruffled, replied, 'So much the worse for the facts.'" in the context of "Andrew Collier, Marx: A Beginner's Guide (2008), Ch. 8" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel" (Quotes about Hegel: Alphabetized by surname) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

About Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher considered one of the most important figures in German idealism. He is one of the fundamental figures of Western philosophy, with his influence extending to the entire range of contemporary philosophical issues, from aesthetics to ontology to politics, both in the analytic and continental tradition.