Philosophy of Right

The political world has never been so complex and difficult to understand: how are we to get a clear grasp on interpreting our political moment, and thus gain the capacity to make effective actions or learn our participatory role in the bigger picture? ​ In the rise of geopolitical tensions, decline of trust in representative democracy, financialisation of basic institutions, and in the loss of the basic capacity to ground or build a simple life world, one can feel increasingly in a state of disorientation. ​ Indeed, it is this state of disorientation that contributes to the rise of reactionary movements seeking to guarantee stability, security and collective identity, whether secular or religious in nature. ​

For these reasons, it is more important than ever to get a sense of the ground of modern political theory. ​ That is what Philosophy Portal will be committed to delivering starting May 18th. ​ We will be focused on teaching Hegel's Philosophy of Right, a text that offers a perspective articulating the conditions of possibility for freedom inclusive of the rise of the modern state. ​ While we do not anymore live in the century which saw the spread of the modern state to all corners of the globe, without understanding the theory which most thoroughly grasped this moment, we will be at a loss for how to reconcile our freedom with the world around us today, the world that is the result of this spread.

In this context, throughout this course we will be invited to think about how Hegel's ideas of freedom and the state can be interpreted for our moment. ​ There is something eternal in Hegel's logic, but at the same time, there is also something historical in Hegel's logic. ​ While Hegel's logic of freedom and the state give us the capacity to understand the birth of the modern political world, it also calls for us to interpret anew. ​ What we must interpret anew is a world with global geopolitical tensions, the need for new ideas about state power on the level of international organisations, and the universal dominance of capital which erodes traditional ways of being and living.

If you feel called to this challenge, our course starts May 18th, and will include classes that teach every chapter of the Philosophy of Right in great detail, coupled to open spaces for Q and A and discussion. ​ We will also host exegetical reading spaces with long-time student at Philosophy Portal Dimitri Crooijmans, specifically focused on the Introduction and Preface of the work, that will give one a better sense of the overall philosophical dimension of Hegel's political theory. ​ Moreover, after the course is complete, a new journey will begin, a journey that includes your own opportunity to develop ideas about contemporary political theory, as inspired by the Philosophy of Right. ​ As is tradition at Philosophy Portal, we will host conferences and anthology processes that will test your capacity to not only understand the central text of our attention, but also to bring it to life for tensions and problems today.

To learn more about the course, or to sign up, check the link below:

And if you check below, you will find two recent podcasts, where I discuss with Daniel L. Garner of O.G. Rose and Tony Chamas of 1Dime about some of the importance of this work for thinking politics today: