Morality in the Basic Directions of the Philosophy of Right

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Published: Mar 25, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/ethiki.22749
Keywords:
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel; Philosophy of Right; Morality (Moralität); Subjectivity; Dialectics; Conscience (Gewissen); Ethical Life (Sittlichkeit); Objective Spirit
Evangelos Grammatikopoulos
Abstract

This article examines the concept of "Morality" (Moralität) within the systematic philosophical framework of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, specifically as articulated in his Elements of the Philosophy of Right. The author explores how Hegel situates Morality as the second stage of the development of the Objective Spirit, positioned between Abstract Right and Ethical Life (Sittlichkeit). The study highlights the dialectical movement from the external legal person to the internal moral subject, emphasizing the roles of "purpose," "intention," and "well-being". A key focus is the tension between the individual conscience (Gewissen) and the universal Good, illustrating how Hegel critiques the potential for "Evil" when the subject's particularity fails to align with objective universality. The paper concludes that while Morality represents a necessary phase of subjective freedom, it remains abstract and incomplete until it is realized within the concrete social and political institutions of Ethical Life.

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