He was a writer, journalist, politician, organizer of Slovak cultural life, and a Lutheran pastor.

Hurban was born in Beckó, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire (now Beckov, Slovakia).

He was born to a Lutheran priest, Paul Hurban, and his wife Anna, née Vörös,[3] and was baptized as Jozef.

Jozef Miloslav Hurban headed and deeply influenced Slovak literature and public life for close to half a century.

He was an uncompromising fighter for the national rights of the Slovak people, an implacable opponent of the Hungarian ruling class, and a pioneer of Slavic mutuality.

Philosophically interesting in this context is Hurban's idea of the manifestation of the spirit in Slavic science, which is - among other things - also a typical example of his theistic reflection of Hegel's philosophy.