Hegel's Logical Comprehension of the Modern State

This book argues that the criterion of rationality Hegel employs in his argument that the modern state as he conceptualizes it is rational is the holistic inferential system of concepts he refers to as the Concept and depicts in the Science of Logic. The book then attempts to explain Hegel’s political philosophy as it is articulated in the Philosophy of Right in terms of the logical and metaphysical requirements of the Science of Logic. This unified logical interpretation of Hegel’s philosophy is opposed not only to recent “practical” interpretations which dispense entirely with his Science of Logic, but also to recent transcendental interpretations which attribute to Hegel the position that the determining activity of thought is limited to the form of the object of its cognition. The result of the interpretive argument offered in this book is a unified philosophy of logic and politics, in which the content of the objective political world is conceptual all the way down. Furthermore, it is argued that the interpretation of the relation between Hegel’s logic and political philosophy offered in this book implies a closer proximity between Hegel’s political philosophy and Marx’s critique of political economy than is generally recognized in the contemporary scholarship.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction Chapter 1: The Doctrine of the Concept in the Science of Logic Chapter 2: Logic and Realphilosophie Chapter 3: The Logical Determination of the Political Chapter 4: Hegel’s Political Philosophy and Modern Society Chapter 5: The Identity of Rationality and Actuality Chapter 6: Abstract Right and Morality Chapter 7: The Family and Civil Society Chapter 8: Hegel’s Concept of the Modern State

About the Author :
Matthew J. Smetona teaches political science at Rowan University. He is the author of articles either published or forthcoming in Telos and Epoché: A Journal for the History of Philosophy. His research interests center on 19th century European political philosophy and 20th century critical social theory.

Review :
Hegel's Philosophy of Right is widely recognized as one of the most important texts in the history of philosophy. One major problem with most of the current literature is its failure to acknowledge the systematic construction of Hegel's philosophy. The Philosophy of Right is intended to be understood within the context of Hegel's philosophical system. We require a "systematic" reading that interprets Hegel's philosophy as he intended it to be understood. Matthew J. Smetona offers us such an account which advances our knowledge of Hegel's philosophy and its contemporary relevance. Hegel's Logical Comprehension of the Modern State is an important contribution to the systematic reading of Hegel's Philosophy of Right that should benefit students and scholars alike.