sittlichkeit

In Elements of the Philosophy of Right, Hegel introduces the sphere of abstract rightMark Alznauer, Hegel's Theory of Responsibility, Cambridge University Press, 2015, p. 6. (Recht),[https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/pr/prabstra.htm#PR37 PR §37] as the first of the three spheres of right. It is marked by the concept of personalityDavid James, Hegel: A Guide for the Perplexed, Continuum, 2007, p. 35. and the actions of the individuals.David James, Hegel: A Guide for the Perplexed, Continuum, 2007, p. 37. This sphere constitutes what Isaiah Berlin would call negative freedom, which is to say, freedom ascertained through the denial of outside impetus.David James, Hegel: A Guide for the Perplexed, Continuum, 2007, p. 45.George Klosko, History of Political Theory: An Introduction: Volume II: Modern (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, 2013, p. 465: "we should note that Hegel's realization of the distance between his own and the traditional liberal conception of freedom, which he calls "abstract freedom," is clear in his embrace of positive freedom [in [http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/pr/prethica.htm#PR149 PR §149A]]". This is the freedom traditionally represented by classical liberalism.{{Cite book|url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2022/entries/liberty-positive-negative/|title=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy|first=Ian|last=Carter|editor-first=Edward N.|editor-last=Zalta|date=January 24, 2023|publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University|via=Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy}}

The second sphere constitutes Kantian morality, and is therefore called the sphere of morality (Moralität).[https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/pr/prmorali.htm#PR106 PR §106] This sphere constitutes what Isaiah Berlin would call positive freedom, which is to say, moral autonomy. However, Hegel criticizes the deployment of Kantian morality in society for being insufficient. He explains this deficiency through philosophical critique of pathologies such as loneliness, depression and agony.

The third sphere, the sphere of ethical life (Sittlichkeit),[http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/pr/prethica.htm#PR145 PR §145][http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/pr/prethica.htm#PR151 PR §150][http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/pr/prethica.htm#PR153 PR §153] is marked by family life, civil society, and the State.Z. A. Pelczynski (ed.), The State and Civil Society: Studies in Hegel's Political Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, 1984, p. 9.Alan Patten, Hegel's Idea of Freedom, Oxford University Press, 1999, [https://www.princeton.edu/~apatten/0-19-823770-7.pdf p. 25]. This idea is traditionally associated with conservatism.{{cite book|title=Conservatism|url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2016/entries/conservatism/|date=2015-08-01|access-date=2023-01-24|first=Andy|last=Hamilton}}

To properly understand the movement from the two first spheres to the last, one must understand that Sittlichkeit's normativity transcends the individual—while Moralität may be rational and reflective, it is also individualistic. The third sphere is an attempt at describing a limited conception of the person through an appeal to the greater institutional context of the communityDrucilla Cornell and Nick Friedman, The Mandate of Dignity: Ronald Dworkin, Revolutionary Constitutionalism, and the Claims of Justice, Oxford University Press, 2016, p. 119. and an attempt at bridging individual subjective feelings and the concept of general rights.

Later German thinkers developed the idea in various directions such as the liberal Carl Theodor Welcker, the conservative Friedrich Julius Stahl, and the socialist Wilhelm Weitling. Welcker connected the idea to constitutional liberties. Stahl related it to a hierarchical godly order. However, Weitling rejected it as oppressive and believed that socialists must work to destroy it.Anton Jansson, "Building or destroying community: the concept of Sittlichkeit in the political thought of Vormärz Germany." Global Intellectual History 5.1 (2020): 86–103. [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/23801883.2019.1586769 online]. Conservative philosopher Roger Scruton called it a highly original and metaphysically fascinating version of the conservative answer to liberalism.{{cite book|title=Modern konservatism|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1204173415|date=2020|access-date=2023-01-24|isbn=978-91-7765-497-1|oclc=1204173415|first=Jakob|last=E:son Söderbaum|page=163}}

{{Reflist}}

• David Edward Rose, [https://books.google.com/books?id=23Qo-PBv8xcC Hegel's Philosophy of Right], London: Bloomsbury, 2007, ch. 7.
• Allen W. Wood, [https://books.google.com/books?id=prXJizjdzEgC Hegel's Ethical Thought], Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990, ch. 7.
• Allen W. Wood (ed.), [https://books.google.com/books?id=FVJRWWD-3fAC Hegel: Elements of the Philosophy of Right], Cambridge University Press, 1991, xii–xiii.

• [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hegel/ The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Sittlichkeit]
• [http://www.iep.utm.edu/hegelsoc/#H6 Hegel: Social and Political Thought: The Philosophy of Right – Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]

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Category:Concepts in ethics

Category:Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel