Outline of a Phenomenology of Right

Alexandre Koj_ve offers a systematic discussion of key themes such as right, justice, law, equality, and autonomy in which he presages our contemporary world of economic globalization and international law. Edited and translated (with Robert Howse) by Bryan-Paul Frost, this is the authoritative English language translation of a monumental work in political philosophy.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Preliminary Remarks Part 2 Droit As Such Chapter 3 Definition of Droit Chapter 4 The Reality of Droit Chapter 5 The Specificity and Autonomy of Droit: The Juridical Activity in its Relations with other Human Activities and the Idea of Justice Part 6 The Origin and Evolution of Droit Chapter 7 The Source of Droit: The Anthropologic Desire for Recognition as the Source of the Idea of Justice Chapter 8 The Birth ofDroit: The Antithetical Justices of the Master and Slave Chapter 9 The evolution of the Droit: The Evolution of the Droit: Synthetic Justice of the Citizen Part 10 The Legal System Chapter 11 Classification for Juridical Phenomena Chapter 12 Basic Study of Some Types of Juridical Phenomena Chapter 13 International Droit, Domestic Droit, and the Plurality of National Juridical Systems Chapter 14 Public Droit Chapter 15 Penal Droit Chapter 16 Private Droit

About the Author :
Alexandre Koj_ve (1902-1968) was the author of the famous Introduction to the Reading of Hegel. He taught at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Paris), where he gave his famous lectures on Hegel, and later was an influential official in the French Ministry of Economic Affairs. His influence was widespread among post-World War II French thinkers including Aron, Bataille, Lacan, and Sartre, and continues among contemporary intellectuals such as Allan Bloom and Francis Fukuyama.

Review :
The publication of this meticulously accurate translation, of the genuinely classic work of a towering figure of twentieth century political philosophy, marks a major event in the world of English-speaking scholarship-which will finally have to come to terms with the challenge of Kojeve's highly original and uncompromisingly rationalist left-Hegelian phenomenology of justice. I found the translation of Kojeve's Outline of a Phenomenology of Right quite impressive. The translators have remained remarkably faithful to the original, even maintaining much of Kojeve's sentence structure, punctuation, and literary idiosyncracies while conveying this difficult work in a surprisingly clear and accessible translation. The editor's notes are excellently done, clarifying allusions in the text, explaining obscure references and noting ambiguities in the French original. Bryan Paul Frost and Robert Howse have provided the kind of translation and editorial apparatus made possible both by a fine grasp of the French language and by a deep familiarity with Kojeve's philosophical work as well as the broader tradition of legal and political philosophy. Kojeve was one of the last century's most influential philosophers, yet one of the least known to the public. This work, unpublished by the author, displays the principles and features of the 'universal and homogeneous state'—a state never seen but often presupposed by politicians as well as thinkers. Every reader deeply interested in today's politics will want this book.... Admirers of Alexandre Kojeve's influential Introduction to the Reading of Hegel will be especially grateful for the publication of this translation of his Outline of a Phenomenology of Right. It renders more concrete many of the tantalizing arguments of that earlier work and should also serve to enrich our impoverished contemporary debate over globalization. This translation merits high praise for its scrupulous care and precision. It is sufficiently literal to give the reader the confidence that Kojeve's argument has been faithfully conveyed, but sufficiently well-polished in its English to be no less readable than the French. Kojéve's work is always brilliant, and this particular work . . . expounds a very noteworthy position. . . . A highly original articulation of a unique and penetrating philosophical position. Kojeve was one of the last century's most influential philosophers, yet one of the least known to the public. This work, unpublished by the author, displays the principles and features of the 'universal and homogeneous state'—a state never seen but often presupposed by politicians as well as thinkers. Every reader deeply interested in today's politics will want this book. Outline of a Phenomenology of Right is an impressive and exhaustive effort that seeks to clarify the meaning of droit. The book, by Alexandre Kojève, not only unpacks the term, but in the process layers droit with Hegelian and Marxist historiography such that the reader is offered a rich historical understanding of droit that is both challenging and thought provoking. Readers can take away from this book an appreciation for the interconnectedness of law, justice, morality, rights, and the role of the state and political institutions in giving meaning to these terms.