Hegel broadens the definition of Ontological Argument beyond the normal scope of such arguments. He is no theist himself, but he makes use of the argument within his own philosophy. And although he analyzes the ontological arguments of Anselm, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, and others, he also presents his own ontological argument, but this is not generally recognized. His argument is formal, and his philosophy allows for a certain approach to formal deduction, but this too is not generally recognized. Finally, I conclude that Hegel's argument is also, surprisingly but defensibly, a modal deduction.
     I defend these unusual claims by calling out the formal characteristics of the argument through textual analysis (Ch.I), defending the idea that Hegel's philosophy allows for such an argument (Ch.II), and revealing the ways in which it is integrated into the rest of his philosophical system (Ch.III). The conclusion (Ch.IV) is that Hegel has given us the key to interpreting his philosophy by fashioning his Absolute Identity Thesis in the form of a modal disjunctive syllogism that functions as an ontological argument.

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