Free Will In Hegel's The Philosophy Of Right

The Philosophy of Right is one of the philosophical essays written by Hegel in the year 1821. This work is considered the first volume of an encyclopedia called Encyclopedia of Philosophical Sciences, which also includes the Philosophy of Logic and Nature and the Philosophy of the Spirit. Hegel defines that the philosophy of right has as its object the idea of right, that is, the concept of right and its realization or expression. The objective that Hegel wants to achieve from this work is to demonstrate how the individual must recognize the State as something rational. The Philosophy of Right is divided into three parts; the first part is the Abstract Right, and on which I will base myself to write this essay, the second part is the Moral …show more content…
Hegel rejects any attempt to define free will. He explains that the mind can be objective through the will, that is, deciding what it wants to do. Therefore, consider the will as the objective mind. We can ask ourselves: what is the will without freedom? Saying "I want" already presupposes that I have the possibility of want something, that is, presupposes my freedom. When another person impersonates my will, decides for me, then takes away my freedom. Maybe other people are free, but I'm not. If a person thinks and decides for me, I am a slave to that person's will, but I am not free. The person, as Hegel says, is formed by body and spirit and, according to him, that spirit is above all intelligence. Therefore, if we have said that the objective mind is the will, it is the same as saying that the will is the spirit, and thus, the will is the intelligence. But we must understand that the will is only free, and therefore true will, as thinking intelligence. Therefore, if I do not think and let others think and decide for me, I can not be free. Later Hegel will conclude that the principle of right, morality and ethics is the reasoning. It is what makes us human and therefore free. If the will is only free and true will in terms of thinking intelligence, a person is not a slave because he has no freedom, but because he does not think. Ignoring one's own freedom already implies not wanting it. For an individual to become aware of his slavery, he must know himself free. Only those who know themselves free, who are capable of thinking for themselves, are able to escape from slavery. For Hegel to know himself free is to be free . It is not only to have the feeling of freedom or to have a concept of freedom, it is to know oneself free, because only in this way will that freedom become effective. At this point, the will is no longer