Hegel's Idea of the Good Life

In Hegel s Idea of the Good Life, Joshua D. Goldstein presents the first book-length study of the development and meaning of Hegel s account of human flourishing. This volume will be welcomed by philosophers and political theorists seeking to engage with the details of Hegel s early and mature social thought.By bringing Hegel s earliest writings into dialogue with his Philosophy of Right, Goldstein argues that Hegel s mature political philosophy should be understood as a response to his youthful failure to build a sustainable account of the good life upon the foundations of ancient virtue. This study reveals how Hegel s mature response integrates ancient concerns for the well-ordered life and modern concerns for autonomy in a new, robust conception of selfhood that can be actualized across the full expanse of the modern political community.