''Sittlichkeit'' () is the concept of "ethical life" or "ethical order" furthered by German philosopher
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political philosophy and t ...
. It was first presented in his work ''
Phenomenology of Spirit'' (1807) to refer to "ethical behavior grounded in
custom and
tradition
A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...
and developed through habit and imitation in accordance with the objective laws of the community"
[ Philip J. Kain, ''Marx and Modern Political Theory: From Hobbes to Contemporary Feminism'', Rowman & Littlefield, 1993, p. 128.] and it was further developed in his work ''
Elements of the Philosophy of Right'' (1820).
The three spheres of right
In ''Elements of the Philosophy of Right'', Hegel introduces the sphere of abstract right
[Mark Alznauer, ''Hegel's Theory of Responsibility'', Cambridge University Press, 2015, p. 6.] (''Recht''), as the ''first'' of the three spheres of right. It is marked by the concept of personality and the actions of the individuals. This sphere constitutes what
Isaiah Berlin
Sir Isaiah Berlin (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and talks ...
would call
negative freedom, which is to say, freedom ascertained through the denial of outside impetus.
[David James, ''Hegel: A Guide for the Perplexed'', Continuum, 2007, p. 45.] This is the freedom traditionally represented by
classical liberalism
Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics and civil liberties under the rule of law, with special emphasis on individual autonomy, limited governmen ...
.
The ''second sphere'' constitutes
Kantian morality, and is therefore called the sphere of morality (''Moralität''). This sphere constitutes what
Isaiah Berlin
Sir Isaiah Berlin (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and talks ...
would call
positive freedom, which is to say,
moral autonomy.
[ However, Hegel criticizes the deployment of Kantian morality in society for being insufficient. He explains this deficiency through philosophical critique of pathologies such as loneliness, depression and agony.
The ''third sphere'', the sphere of ethical life][ (''Sittlichkeit''), is marked by family life, ]civil society
Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.[conservatism
Conservatism is a Philosophy of culture, cultural, Social philosophy, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, Convention (norm), customs, and Value (ethics and social science ...]
.
To properly understand the movement from the two first spheres to the last, one must understand that ''Sittlichkeits normativity transcends the individual—while ''Moralität'' may be rational and reflective,[ it is also individualistic. The third sphere is an attempt at describing a limited conception of the person through an appeal to the greater institutional context of the community and an attempt at bridging individual subjective feelings and the concept of general rights.
]
Influence
Later German thinkers developed the idea in various directions such as the liberal Carl Theodor Welcker, the conservative Friedrich Julius Stahl, and the socialist Wilhelm Weitling. Welcker connected the idea to constitutional liberties. Stahl related it to a hierarchical godly order. However, Weitling rejected it as oppressive and believed that socialists must work to destroy it. Conservative philosopher Roger Scruton
Sir Roger Vernon Scruton, (; 27 February 194412 January 2020) was an English philosopher, writer, and social critic who specialised in aesthetics and political philosophy, particularly in the furtherance of Conservatism in the United Kingdom, c ...
called it a highly original and metaphysically fascinating version of the conservative answer to liberalism.
Notes
References
* David Edward Rose
''Hegel's'' Philosophy of Right
London: Bloomsbury, 2007, ch. 7.
* Allen W. Wood
''Hegel's Ethical Thought''
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990, ch. 7.
* Allen W. Wood (ed.)
''Hegel: Elements of the Philosophy of Right''
Cambridge University Press, 1991, xii–xiii.
External links
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on ''Sittlichkeit''
Hegel: Social and Political Thought: The Philosophy of Right – Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
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Concepts in ethics
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel