Georg Wilhelm Frederich Hegel (1770 - 1831) was a German philosopher and considered to be one of the pioneers of Western philosophy. A dedicated Idealist, Hegel developed a method of dialectic thought, which examined a variety of subjects, including history, nature, divinity, and human nature, from every possible perspective. While a devout Christian, Hegel railed against the notion of orthodoxy, instead approaching his faith from a logical and rationalistic point of view. Hegel's influence on the world of philosophy cannot be understated and he remains one of the great thinkers of the 18th and 19th centuries.