One of the main critiques of Hegel in regards to the liberalism view of freedom is that the view of liberalism is only a partial view of freedom. By referring to liberalism as a partial freedom, Hegel is referring to its subjectivity. To Hegel, liberal freedom is a subjective freedom. In other words, it is a negative freedom, it is a system of rights. This is because according to Hegel, freedom is the “the worthiest and the holiest thing in humanity” where the core of freedom lies in free will (Par. 215). Hence, for Hegel, without free will, individuals do not possess freedom. This is why Hegel refers to freedom as an abstract concept, as freedom by itself, is just an abstract right. As a result, when an individual thinks to himself “I will”,
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In this way, the rights of individuals and subjects are objective in the sense that they are integrated into a type of system and are clearly outlined, as opposed to having a subjective sense, where the rights of persons are changeable and can easily be overcome. With that said, Hegel says individuals can be fully free only when they participate in what Hegel refers to as “the ethical life”. Ethical life “is the Idea of freedom in that, on the one hand, it is the good become alive – the good endowed in self-consciousness with knowing and willing and actualized by self-conscious action – while on the other hand self-consciousness has I the ethical realm its absolute foundation and the end which actuates its effort. Thus ethical life is the concept of freedom developed into the existing world and the nature of self-consciousness” (Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, 142). The ethical life is divided into 3 important parts; family, the civil society, and the …show more content…
On the other hand, the civil society and the state portion of the ethical life is more substantial. In regards to the former, civil society is a domain where individuals interact with one another through social means and other various methods, where it further corresponds to a “system of needs”. The civil society is a significant concept to Hegel’s ‘ethical life’, and as a result contains and represents three main things: the political economy, administration of justice and/or laws, and corporations. In regards to the political economy, civil society is the realm of the market economy, capitalism. It is the sphere which is dedicated to needs of individuals and the finding for the satisfaction of these needs. In other words, civil is the society is the realm where individuals pursue their private interests. (Hegel, 289). Furthermore, it is also the realm of necessity, in the sense that every individual is committed to the means of achieving the necessary means to secure their existence by attaining economic success. In other words, it is a sphere where there is a lot of competition amongst individuals’, which leads to not only struggle, but leads to a sphere where individuals are motivated to seek economic success.
In this way, the rights of individuals and subjects are objective in the sense that they are integrated into a type of system and are clearly outlined, as opposed to having a subjective sense, where the rights of persons are changeable and can easily be overcome. With that said, Hegel says individuals can be fully free only when they participate in what Hegel refers to as “the ethical life”. Ethical life “is the Idea of freedom in that, on the one hand, it is the good become alive – the good endowed in self-consciousness with knowing and willing and actualized by self-conscious action – while on the other hand self-consciousness has I the ethical realm its absolute foundation and the end which actuates its effort. Thus ethical life is the concept of freedom developed into the existing world and the nature of self-consciousness” (Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, 142). The ethical life is divided into 3 important parts; family, the civil society, and the …show more content…
On the other hand, the civil society and the state portion of the ethical life is more substantial. In regards to the former, civil society is a domain where individuals interact with one another through social means and other various methods, where it further corresponds to a “system of needs”. The civil society is a significant concept to Hegel’s ‘ethical life’, and as a result contains and represents three main things: the political economy, administration of justice and/or laws, and corporations. In regards to the political economy, civil society is the realm of the market economy, capitalism. It is the sphere which is dedicated to needs of individuals and the finding for the satisfaction of these needs. In other words, civil is the society is the realm where individuals pursue their private interests. (Hegel, 289). Furthermore, it is also the realm of necessity, in the sense that every individual is committed to the means of achieving the necessary means to secure their existence by attaining economic success. In other words, it is a sphere where there is a lot of competition amongst individuals’, which leads to not only struggle, but leads to a sphere where individuals are motivated to seek economic success.