The Logical Foundation of the Path from Arbitrariness to Ethical Freedom in Hegel

Abstract

The present article aims to elucidate the logical basis of the passage from arbitrary volition to the will which is free “in itself and for itself” in the Introduction of his Philosophy of Right. The following three claims are defended: 1. The idea of such a passage, conceived as reflexivization of the will, is already present in Fichte’s ethics. However, differently from Fichte, Hegel conceives it on a logical-conceptual basis. 2. The logical basis of the passage in Hegel can be identified with the passage from the logic of essence to the logic of the concept. 3. The explication of the will which is free in and for itself through the logic of the concept does not yet yield the ethical and social character of this freedom, which reveals itself only within the Philosophy of Right itself.