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Physical Characteristics of the Two Sexes: Hegel’s Philosophy of Right
In the Philosophy of Right, Hegel explains that the "difference in the physical characteristics of the two sexes has a rational basis and consequently acquires an intellectual and ethical significance." Like Rousseau before him, Hegel sees this rational basis in the complementarity of the sexes, a differentiation which is to be unified through marriage. Prior to examining Hegel's views on marriage, I will detail his position concerning the nature of this complementarity.
Hegel's tenets concerning woman's nature, although expressed through the terms and values of his philosophy, end up being remarkably similar to those of Rousseau. Woman is associated with the emotions, man with reason. Woman is passive, man, active. In Hegel's words, One sex [man] is mind in its self-diremption into explicit personal self-subsistence and the knowledge and volition of free universality, i.e. the self-consciousness of conceptual thought and the volition of the objective final end. Urgent Editing services for college and university students by talented editors The other sex [woman] is mind maintaining itself in unity as knowledge and volition of the substantive, but knowledge and volition in the form of concrete individuality and feeling. In relation to externality, the former is powerful and active, the latter passive and subjective.
Man's understanding is self-conscious and conceptual. He is aware of what he knows, and his knowledge is categorical in nature. Woman's understanding is intuitive and derives from her subjective feelings. Her understanding is implicit in her actions, but is not experienced at a conceptual level. Man is capable of comprehending objective, universal truths, while woman deals with the specifics of the subjective realm. Hegel's conclusions concerning the consequences of these differences for the social roles of women and men are predic. He claims that these differences dictate the exclusion of woman from the state. While man's life consists of learning, labor, and struggle within the public sphere of the state, woman is to focus on piety within the family.
In the Philosophy of Right, Hegel explains that the "difference in the physical characteristics of the two sexes has a rational basis and consequently acquires an intellectual and ethical significance." Like Rousseau before him, Hegel sees this rational basis in the complementarity of the sexes, a differentiation which is to be unified through marriage. Prior to examining Hegel's views on marriage, I will detail his position concerning the nature of this complementarity.
Hegel's tenets concerning woman's nature, although expressed through the terms and values of his philosophy, end up being remarkably similar to those of Rousseau. Woman is associated with the emotions, man with reason. Woman is passive, man, active. In Hegel's words, One sex [man] is mind in its self-diremption into explicit personal self-subsistence and the knowledge and volition of free universality, i.e. the self-consciousness of conceptual thought and the volition of the objective final end. Urgent Editing services for college and university students by talented editors The other sex [woman] is mind maintaining itself in unity as knowledge and volition of the substantive, but knowledge and volition in the form of concrete individuality and feeling. In relation to externality, the former is powerful and active, the latter passive and subjective.
Man's understanding is self-conscious and conceptual. He is aware of what he knows, and his knowledge is categorical in nature. Woman's understanding is intuitive and derives from her subjective feelings. Her understanding is implicit in her actions, but is not experienced at a conceptual level. Man is capable of comprehending objective, universal truths, while woman deals with the specifics of the subjective realm. Hegel's conclusions concerning the consequences of these differences for the social roles of women and men are predic. He claims that these differences dictate the exclusion of woman from the state. While man's life consists of learning, labor, and struggle within the public sphere of the state, woman is to focus on piety within the family.