Hegel's Idea of the Good Life

In Hegels Idea of the Good Life, Joshua D. Goldstein presents the first book-length study of the development and meaning of Hegels account of human flourishing. This volume will be welcomed by philosophers and political theorists seeking to engage with the details of Hegels early and mature social thought. By bringing Hegels earliest writings into dialogue with his Philosophy of Right, Goldstein argues that Hegels 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 Hegels 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.