Intersubjectivity and Ethical Life in Hegels Philosophy of Right.

Abstract

The aim of this research is to delineate the traces of the hegelian concet of Ethical Life (Sittlichkeit) - which we can find in the work Principles of the Philosophy of Right - rendering it problematic insofar as we take as guide the notion of intersubjectivity. Retracing some of the most important moments of this philosophical debate, this research will initially confront certain positions that deny the intersubjective approach in Hegel's mature writings with that which tries to recover to a certain degree the intersubjective approach. This confrontation will enable us to bring to light a concept of ethical life wich retains the potential of a reading of it in the light of intersubjectivity. Beginning with one critical approach of the concept of ethical life, this reaearch will explore key notions of said concept; for instance, the notions of "work" and "duty", insofar as they reveal an ambivalence in the notion of "individual will" inside ethical life. This ambivalence, we argue, is a sign of the tension between two concepts of right inside ethical life. Finally, we will defend two concepts of right that will lead us towards two different notions of intersubjectivity wich underlie this philosophical work of Hegel's.