Hegel’s Elements of the Philosophy of Right, one of the classic texts of German Idealism, is a seminal work of legal, social and political philosophy that has generated very different interpretations since its publication in 1821. Written with the advantage of historical distance, the essays in this volume adopt a fresh perspective to make readers aware of the breadth and depth of this classic work. Their themes reflect the continuing relevance of the text to modern-day concerns, and include the concept of property, Hegel’s view of morality, the concept of Sittlichkeit, the modern family, and the nature and tensions of civil society, together with its relation to the state. The volume will be of interest to all scholars and students of German Idealism.
David James is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick. His publications include Fichte’s Republic: Idealism, History and Nationalism (Cambridge University Press, 2015); Rousseau and German Idealism: Freedom, Dependence and Necessity (Cambridge University Press, 2013); and Fichte’s Social and Political Philosophy: Property and Virtue (Cambridge University Press, 2011). He is co-editor (with Günter Zöller) of The Cambridge Companion to Fichte (Cambridge University Press, 2016).
