This article examines approaches to education developed by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and his contemporary and close friend, Friedrich Niethammer, two thinkers who significantly contributed to pedagogy. The aim is not only to compare both thinkers' ideas concerning education, analysing the similarities and the differences between their approaches to education, but also to demonstrate the wider social impact of their educational theories for the contemporary democratic society, which demands an educational system that can accomplish seemingly conflicting tasks. Students must develop holistically as individuals and not simply memorize trivia, but at the same time must be prepared to productive labour. Both thinkers offer complex yet practical solutions to achieving these aims, which makes exploration of their ideas valuable and timely.