Hegel's Political Philosophy: A Systematic Reading of the Philosophy of Right

Hegel's Elements of the Philosophy of Right is widely acknowledged as one of the most important works in the history of political philosophy, and scholars largely agree that Hegel intended this work to be interpreted as a significant part of his greater system of speculative philosophy. There is a debate, however, over the relevance of Hegel's larger philosophical system to an understanding of his Philosophy of Right. This is the first book to treat Hegel's system of speculative philosophy as an integral component of a robust understanding of Philosophy of Right. The book begins by establishing the difference between "systematic" and "non-systematic" readings of the text, and then discusses the corresponding features of Hegel's system, particularly the unique structure of his philosophical arguments. The book demonstrates the results of this systematic reading by exploring several areas of Hegel's political philosophy: his theories of property, punishment, moral