Acceso usuarios
Jonathan Boyd
Hegel's relation (or non-relation) to Hobbes has been explored in the critical literature, but mainly in theoretical terms. In this article I argue that the historical reception of Hobbes in Germany and the necessary transformation of his thinking in the context of the Holy Roman Empire shaped Hegel's early political thinking, as well as his institutional form of the state. Thus this article rekindles the debate on Hegel's relation to Hobbes by focusing on the constitutional context in Germany and shows how the German tradition of political theory, with its emphasis on the rights of religion and conscience, was central to Hegel's development.
