The Ethics of Democracy: A Contemporary Reading of Hegel's Philosophy of Right

Lucio Cortella

Sep 2015 · State University of New York Press

About this ebook

The legal regulations and formal rules of democracy alone are not enough to hold a society together and govern its processes. Yet the irreducible ethical pluralism that characterizes contemporary society seems to make it impossible to impose a single system of values as a source of social cohesion and identity reference. In this book, Lucio Cortella argues that Hegel's theory of ethical life can provide such a grounding and makes the case through an analysis of Hegel's central political work, the Philosophy of Right. Although Hegel did not support democratic political ends and wrote in a historical and cultural context far removed from the current liberal-democratic scene, Cortella maintains that the Hegelian theory of ethical life, with its emphasis on securing a framework conducive to human freedom, nevertheless offers a convincing response to the problem of the ethical uprootedness of contemporary democracy.

About the author

Lucio Cortella is Full Professor of History of Philosophy at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice in Italy. Giacomo Donis is a professional translator.