ABSTRACT
This chapter examines what might be broadly called the social basis of Hegel’s constitutional conclusions. It offers an interpretation of how his conception of the “rational state” in the Philosophy of Right is the highest objective synthesis of the many “affirmative” yet subordinate elements which have emerged in social history. “Ethical practices” are a synthesis of the elements under the headings of “abstract right” and “moral consciousness”. In one sense, “civil society” is seen by Hegel as fostering the very antithesis of the felt unity and ethical practices which are rooted in family life. Hegel’s characterises civil society as an “external” state because the individuals, families, and associations, of which it is composed initially view themselves as “self-dependent” and others as outside their concern. The model theory explicitly widens Hegel’s definitions of “corporation” and of the “reflective section”.
