Hegel's Critique of Modernity: Reconciling Individual Freedom and the Community

413 Pages·2009·1.21 MB·English

by  Timothy C. Luther

Political Theory | Philosophy
“This is a very thorough, substantive, and readable discussion of the
issue of individual freedom and the community in Hegel’s thought. It
is centered on his Philosophy of Right, but in the double context of
his philosophy of history and the post-Hegelian history of European LUTHER
modernity. What makes the book most interesting and relevant is
the author’s Hegelian reflections on contemporary globalization, the
HEGEL’S CRITIQUE
economic consequences of which we are now beginning to suffer due
to individualism gone mad. I would heartily recommend it to educated
readers, Hegel scholars, and political philosophers alike.”
OF MODERNITY
—ANSELM K. MIN, Claremont Graduate University
“Timothy C. Luther provides a thoroughly clear presentation of Hegel’s political philosophy. But more
important, through the use of concrete examples, he demonstrates connections between Hegel’s
philosophy and contemporary political issues. The result is that Luther makes Hegel much more acces- R E C O N C I L I N G I N D I V I D U A L
sible to undergraduate students, an impressive achievement given Hegel’s notorious reputation.” H
—PATRICK HORN, Claremont Graduate University E
F R E E D O M A N D T H E C O M M U N I T Y
G
Hegel’s enduring importance lies in the fact that his philosophy sheds light on many contempo- E
rary problems; his conception of freedom enables us to reconcile many of the differences that L
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divide liberalism and communitarianism. While liberalism tends to overemphasize the individual
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and devalue the community, communitarianism tends to do the reverse. One of his central aims
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is to integrate liberalism’s concern for the political rights and interests of individuals within the
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framework of a community.
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As Hegel’s Critique of Modernity demonstrates, Hegel strove to discover social structures that would I
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allow individuals to escape the alienation that characterizes contemporary life. He sought a method of
reconciling his contemporaries to the modern world by overcoming the things that split the self from U
the social world—that is, a place where people are at home in the social world. A sense of estrange- E

ment is all too common, even for those who enjoy more personal freedom and material abundance O
than ever thought possible. While Hegel is speaking directly to and about his contemporaries, their
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social world bears much in common with ours. Consequently, his attempt to reconcile philosophical
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and social contradictions can elucidate our own condition. While the modern world reflects important
contributions, the advent of modern liberalism leads to excessive individualism that fragments social O
life, leaving individuals disconnected and adrift from meaningful social life. The major goal of Hegel’s D
political philosophy is to reconcile the individual with his or her political community in a way that E
overcomes the alienation of modern life. R
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TIMOTHY C. LUTHER is professor of political science at California Baptist University and author of
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Lobbyists, Congress, and Gridlock: Private Money v. Public Interest, Hegel and Marx: Economics and T
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Politics, and The Political Philosophy of Democracy: Its Origins, Promises, and Perils.
For orders and information please contact the publisher
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Hegel’s Critique
of Modernity

Hegel’s Critique
of Modernity
Reconciling Individual Freedom
and the Community
Timothy C. Luther
LEXINGTON BOOKS
A division of
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Lanham (cid:129) Boulder (cid:129) New York (cid:129) Toronto (cid:129) Plymouth, UK
LEXINGTON BOOKS
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Copyright © 2009 by Lexington Books
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
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means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Luther, Timothy C., 1954– Hegel’s critique of modernity : reconciling individual
freedom and the community / Timothy C. Luther.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7391-2979-1 (cloth : alk. paper)
eISBN: 978-0-7391-2981-4
1. Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 1770–1831—Political and social views. 2.
Liberty—Philosophy. I. Title.
JC233.H433L87 2009
323.44—dc22
2009007664
Printed in the United States of America
(cid:2) ™
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992.
To my wife: Melissa

Contents
Acknowledgements xi
1 Introduction 1
The Purpose of the Book 4
Hegel’s Philosophical Importance 10
A Preview of the Chapters 13
2 Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: His Philosophy and Context 19
Hegel’s History of Philosophy 22
The Development of Western Philosophy 23
The Modern Conflict Between the Individual and Community 28
Hegel’s Philosophy in Context 30
The Dialectical Method: Geist and Aufhebungen 42
Hegel’s Critique of Modernity 51
3 The Dialectic and History: The Odyssey of Liberty 63
Geist, Freedom, and Conflict 67
The Dialectic of World History 69
The Oriental World 72
Ancient Greece 78
The Roman Empire 81
Medieval Christianity 83
The Reformation and the Renaissance 86
The Enlightenment 90
The French Revolution 92
Hegel’s Life and Times 95
Freedom and the Community 105
vii
viii Contents
4 Hegel’s Sittlichkeit: Individual Freedom in Ethical Life 117
Greek Sittlichkeit 122
Kant’s Metaphysics of Morals and Modern Freedom 128
Hegel’s Critique of Kant’s Modernism 135
Modern Sittlichkeit 140
5 T he Family and Bürgerliche Gesellschaft: Hegel’s Realm
of Particular Freedom 155
The Family 158
Civil Society 165
The System of Needs and Political Economy 167
The Administration of Justice and Property 172
Police and the Regulation of Community Welfare 179
Corporations 183
The Particular and Subjective Freedom 186
6 Autonomy and Solidarity: Hegel’s Rechtsstaat 199
The Critique of Social Contract Theory 203
Reconciling Individualism and Community 207
Hegel’s Rechtsstaat 212
Constitutional Monarchy 213
The Universal Estate 215
The Legislative Assembly 216
Separation of Church and State and Toleration 220
Hegel’s Critique of Modern Liberalism 226
7 The Emergence of Hegelianism: Right and Left Movements 243
Hegel’s Philosophy of Versöhnung 247
Immediate Reactions to Hegelianism 250
Left Hegelianism 253
Ludwig Feuerbach 256
Marx’s Dialectic 261
Hegel and the Real World 269
8 Nineteenth-Century Rejections of Hegelianism 279
Existentialism as a Response to Hegelianism 281
Søren Kierkegaard: Philosophy Without Foundations 282
Friedrich Nietzsche and the Criticism of Metaphysics 288
Hegel’s Critique of Modern Metaphysics 296
9 Hegel and Postmodernism 313
Critical Theory and Negative Dialectics 317
Postmetaphysical Intersubjectivity 326
Contents ix
Phenomenological and Philosophical Hermeneutics 329
Poststructuralism and Deconstruction 333
Hegel’s Antifoundational Defense of Modernity 337
10 Conclusion: Hegel Today 345
Hegel and Economic Justice 347
Political Economy and Alienation 348
Contemporary Globalization 352
Hegel and Contemporary Dilemmas 363
Excessive Individualism and Fragmentation 366
Restoring Community and Ethical Life 370
Bibliography 381
Index 393