Abstract

This essay discusses Hegel’s theory of “abstract” respect for “abstract”personhood and its relation to the fuller, concrete account of human personhood.Hegel defines (abstract) personhood as an abstract, formal categorywith the help of his account of free will. For Hegel, personhood is defined interms of powers, relations to self and to others. After analyzing what accordingto the first part of Philosophy of Right it is to (abstractly) respect someone as aperson, the essay discusses the implications for private property and market.Then the paper turns to discuss pathologies of ideologies that stress these aspectsonly. Finally, the essay discusses the way inwhich Hegel’s full social theoryaims to overcome such pathological tendencies; most notably in his theory ofFamily and the State.