Hegel and slavery part ii
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G.W.F. Hegel maintains that ancient slavery plays a central role in the historical development of the concept of freedom. In particular, the experience of slavery teaches something essential to the attainment of true freedom: the capacity to abstract from one’s particular interests. Slaves, whom the master forces to put aside their own natural and private desires, are in a position to reach and to lead the rest of society to freedom. Of course, the realization of freedom demands an essential next step: a move from serving the interests of another (such as the master) to embracing the interests of a rational community of free individuals.
The claim that it is preferable to abolish slavery gradually rather than suddenly would clash with Hegel’s general account of slavery, as well as with his philosophy of history. Any such claim would amount to providing a kind of justification for slavery that Hegel explicitly repudiates and to taking an evaluative standpoint that he considers inappropriate for a philosopher contemplating past civilizations. Hegel’s project requires rejecting altogether the question whether Greco-Roman societies would be morally or ethically better without slavery. Hegel seeks to show that, despite its role in the advancement of freedom, slavery is utterly at odds with the demands of freedom, as fully realized throughout world history.
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G.W.F. Hegel maintains that ancient slavery plays a central role in the historical development of the concept of freedom. In particular, the experience of slavery teaches something essential to the attainment of true freedom: the capacity to abstract from one’s particular interests. Slaves, whom the master forces to put aside their own natural and private desires, are in a position to reach and to lead the rest of society to freedom. Of course, the realization of freedom demands an essential next step: a move from serving the interests of another (such as the master) to embracing the interests of a rational community of free individuals.
The claim that it is preferable to abolish slavery gradually rather than suddenly would clash with Hegel’s general account of slavery, as well as with his philosophy of history. Any such claim would amount to providing a kind of justification for slavery that Hegel explicitly repudiates and to taking an evaluative standpoint that he considers inappropriate for a philosopher contemplating past civilizations. Hegel’s project requires rejecting altogether the question whether Greco-Roman societies would be morally or ethically better without slavery. Hegel seeks to show that, despite its role in the advancement of freedom, slavery is utterly at odds with the demands of freedom, as fully realized throughout world history.
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