ABSTRACT

This chapter presents a brier overview of the aim and purpose of Hegel's discussion, and a brief sketch of his own account of mind. One of the central ideas that Hegel criticizes in the philosophy of mind prevalent in his day was the distinction between thought and will. In looking at philosophical considerations of ethics the chapter concerns for specific types of conduct, and this is reflected in the empirical, that is non-philosophic, concern for conduct. In deriving his discussion of will from the context of ethical life Hegel opens up an avenue for a discussion of Action, something that can be seen in the light of modern discussions on purpose, motives, intention, etc. Such discussions aim at establishing some element of agency in Action, which was clearly the aim of Hegel's contemporaries of whom he is so critical.