The social character of social freedoms

Abstract

The Hegelian concept of ethical freedom was understood by the american tradition as social freedom: Freedom is achieved only socially, i.e. through mediation of participating in social institutions. Hegel certainly would not disagree with this definition. There is, however, another concept of social freedom that needs to be better analyzed by the Hegelian thought. For Hegel, right is the existence (Dasein) of freedom, which allows us to conclude that the social right is the existence of social freedom. For the common sense, social right designates the liberties conquered in face of the risks of existence in a capitalist market society. Social right, like any other freedom, presupposes social recognition, so it is possible to affirm that this definition of social freedom as social right does not contradict the generic american version. In my research, I would like to investigate the concept of social freedom both as a social right and as acquired through participation in social and political institutions. Through an analysis of current social and political institutions, I also aim to investigate the general recognition of the concept of social rights, in the wider society.