Hegel, champion of an authoritarian state... or a liberal one?5 reading minutes

Le Regard Libre N° 76 - Olivier Meuwly

Série «Les préjugés à l'égard des philosophes», épisode #1

Each month, Le Regard Libre presents a philosopher whose thinking differs from, or even runs counter to, the clichés that circulate about him. Historian Olivier Meuwly opens the ball by arguing that Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel did not advocate an authoritarian state. On the contrary, our guest editor locates certain theoretical foundations of liberalism at the heart of the Hegelian system. Direct democracy itself is no stranger to the German's vision, according to the historian.

Prononcez le nom du philosophe allemand Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), et la réaction fusera, dans un double registre. Ou votre interlocuteur vous le décrira comme le théoricien d’un Etat absolu, omnipotent, omniscient, valeur s