As a co-founder of the Wissenschaft des Judentums, (science of Judaism) as a childhood friend of Heine, as a masterclass student, colleague, friend and editor of Hegel, as a leading thinker of the Hegelian school, as an adversary of Savigny, as a theater critic and representative of the scholarly world in Rahel Varnhagen‹s salon, as the leader of the liberal opposition in Berlin and a professor of Marx, Gans (1797–1839) was an important figure of intellectual life during the pre-March era, whose fame also spread to other countries in Europe. His autobiographical ‹Rückblicke‹ (Looking back) are not only an important piece of evidence from the history of the Hegelian school but also provide a cross section of the diverse activities of this thinker.
