Hegel's Political Philosophy

Abstract

Hegel famously argues that his speculative method is a foundation for claims about socio-political reality within a wider philosophical system. This systematic approach is thought a superior alternative to all other ways of philosophical thinking. Hegel’s method and system have normative significance for understanding everything from ethics to the state. Hegel’s approach has attracted much debate among scholars about key philosophical questions—and controversy about his proposed answers to them. Is his method and system open to the charge of dogmatism? Are his claims about the rationality of monarchy, unequal gender relations, an unelected second parliamentary chamber, and a corporation-based economy beyond revision? If not, does his political philosophy collapse into relativism? Since Hegel’s method is supposed to save him from either extreme, is there anything about his criticism of previous philosophies that could make his approach attractive to contemporary thinkers? Or is it preferable to focus on Hegel’s conclusions only, disregard his method, and interpret him in a non-systematic reading? This groundbreaking collection of new essays by leading interpreters of Hegel’s philosophy is dedicated to the questions that surround Hegel’s philosophical method and its relationship to the conclusions of his political philosophy. It contributes to the ongoing debate about the importance of a systematic context for political philosophy and the relationship between theoretical and practical philosophy, and it engages with contemporary discussions about the shape of a rational social order and gauges the timeliness of Hegel’s way of thinking.

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