The scandal of Hegel's political philosophy
pp. 704-720
in: Matthew C. Altman (ed), The Palgrave handbook of German idealism, Berlin, Springer, 2014Abstract
The reception of Hegel's political philosophy has been marked by controversy, not to say scandal, from its first appearance. Appearing in the context of the political struggle between progressive, liberal reformers and conservative forces in the Prussia of his day, Hegel's Elements of the Philosophy of Right has been read as supporting, with philosophical argument, politically conservative and reactionary forces. In the work, Hegel defends hereditary monarchy; the structure of the state, as he articulates it, is non-democratic; he presents the state as a divine substance in relation to which individual citizens are mere accidents. These are among the doctrines that have fed the unattractive image of Hegel, carried down in the tradition, as an opponent of liberal reforms, as a more or less totalitarian thinker, and as a fount of German nationalism. This unattractive image has presented significant obstacles to the appreciation and appropriation of Hegel's political philosophy.1
