THE CONCEPT OF RIGHT IN THE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF HEGEL

THE CONCEPT OF RIGHT IN THE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF HEGEL

ABSTRACT

The overall context of this study is Hegel’s concept of Right, that is, the entire normative structure of social life. However, Hegel’s concept of State as an end in itself betrays the dialectical element in his thought, thereby posing the question of the relation of the individual to the state. The study attempts to establish that individual and society are here reconciled through perfecting each other. The study therefore examines the concept of right as this pertains to some other philosophies. It attempts to show the relationship between the individual and the state relative to the issue of rights, to discuss the criticisms of Hegel’s idea rights, and to bring Hegel’s idea of right to bear on the contemporary world.