1. Preliminary note. Spirit is one of the fundamental concepts in the history of philosophy, which might indeed be called, as in German, the “history of the spirit”. If the full extension and depth of the concept is to be grasped, it should not be constricted within the limits of a definition. The “historicity” which is an essential property of the spirit and the “history” which is its essential actuation must both be considered if we are to understand the concept in terms of the problems it sets to modern thought (see. History I). This will bring to light the hermeneutic circle involv…