Hegel´s Practical Philosophy: Rational Agency As Ethical Life

This fresh and original book argues that the central questions in Hegel´s practical philosophy are the central questions in modern accounts of freedom: what is freedom, or what would it be to act freely? Is it possible so to act? And how important is leading a free life? Robert Pippin argues that the core of Hegel´s answers is a social theory of agency, the view that agency is not exclusively a matter of the self-relation and self-determination of an individual but requires the right sort of engagement with and recognition by others. Using a detailed analysis of key Hegelian texts, he develops this interpretation to reveal the bearing of Hegel´s claims on many contemporary issues, including much-discussed core problems in the liberal democratic tradition. His important study will be valuable for all readers who are interested in Hegel´s philosophy and in the modern problems of agency and freedom.