ipl-logo

Criticisms Of George Hegel's Theories Of Freedom

1682 Words7 Pages

In this essay I will argue about freedom, as George Hegel argues on freedom and that Geist is the spirit of time. Fichte’s theory argues that freedom means non-interference. According to Rousseau, man in the state of nature was free, wise, and good and the laws of nature were kind. Helvetius argued that only thing which men wish is pleasure and the only thing which men wish to avoid are pains, and there is one system of science which is morality and freedom. I will explain in details below all these theories, there are also similarities and differences in terms of criticisms for Hegel’s freedom, Fichte, Rousseau and Helvetius.
1.Hegel (1770-1831).
Hegel’s phenomenology of the mind, the typical forms of the geist are thoughts, beliefs and …show more content…

The pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain are the only motives which in fact act upon men, as gravitation and other physical principles are said to act on inanimate bodies. If you want to know what is it that causes human beings to be as they are, that causes their character to be what they are, that causes their acts to be as they are, that is responsible for their loves and their hates, their passions and their ideas, their hopes and their fears, it is this conscious or unconscious pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain” (Berlin, 2002). By this Helvetius argues that man is self-interested, meaning he avoid pain, personal interest is the only motivation and men will always be the same (being self-interested). Self-interest, founded on the love of pleasure and the fear of pain. Human beings are motivated solely by the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. Helvetius proclaimed that man is self-interested, there is one system of science, and to be free the government must provide rules which teach us good from wrong. He regarded the human mind as blank slates.
Since all men have the same natural potential, Helvetius argued, they all have the same ability to learn and education or knowledge improve society, and there is one system of science which is morality and freedom. Helvetius claims that man’s rule is positive since only perfect …show more content…

The state is ruling you and is telling you what is right from wrong, that’s leads to an absolute lack of freedom. Rousseau’s criticism is similar to the criticism for Helvetius in terms of utilitarianism and totalitarianism argument.
Criticism for Helvetius is that it sacrifices the pleasure of minority for the sake of majority, it ignores individuals. Helvetius’s theory is that there is absolute lack of freedom. It ignores human needs and personal aspirations. For Helvetius, to be free the government must provide rules that teach man right from wrong, and thereafter man would be free.

In conclusion, I have detailed explained the freedom and free will in reference to the one explained by the great philosophers Helvetius, Hegel, Fichte and Rousseau. I also took into account the criticism of their theories. From the above essay they are well described and that how does this theorist are the same and their criticism. The theorist’s arguments are well explained in a respective manner, and their criticism.

6.Reference.
Berlin, I. (2002). Freedom and Betrayal: Six Enemies of Human Liberty. Chatto & Windus publishers. Great

Show More
Related
833 Words | 4 Pages

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" (Calhoun 625). The quote is the initial statement in the Declaration of Independence. However, John Calhoun made an argument about equality by claiming that the doctrine claiming all men to be born free and equal is a false and dangerous constitutional error. Calhoun also creates a sustained argument that refutes politics by a Lockean understanding of equality. In this case, he offers his personal explanation in regards to why men are not eligible for an equal amount of liberty.

Read More
1113 Words | 5 Pages

Due to using reason to solve problems and exercising rational potential, human beings cannot be fulfilled by mere pleasure because of their higher capacities than pure pleasure-seeking

Read More
1387 Words | 6 Pages

In this essay I will investigate the concept of freedom by offering an analysis of Hobbes’ Leviathan and Machiavelli’s The Discourses, because I want to show what reaction Machiavelli would have had to Hobbes’ proto-liberal definition of liberty as “the absence of external impediments” in order to help the readers understand how Machiavelli would criticize the concept while offering a deeper analysis of it. Thomas Hobbes is one of the biggest supporter of Absolutism and the total supremacy of the State on the individuals. He has lived his life in a climate of absolute insecurity and lack of certainty. That is why he wanted to completely reform the human way of thinking. His main goal was that of giving the geometrical strictness to politics

Read More
611 Words | 3 Pages

Human freedom as defined by Dr. Ambrosio is to find meaning in one’s own life in one’s own way. Frankl view also differs in that it is not just being responsible to all for all, but through the responsibility of choosing how to respond to suffering, humans produce their own freedom. Frankl defines the term freedom as the ability of the human ability of choice, how to live when faced with suffering. This is not the suffering produce by one’s one errors, but that unavoidable suffering from external

Read More
1504 Words | 7 Pages

Ultimately, there is never an absolutely equal society whether or not there is freedom. Rousseau argues that men are naturally free in the state of nature; and yet, even in this free and untainted society, there exists physical inequality, suggesting that a free society is not necessarily an equal one. As Rousseau claims in the Discourses on Inequality, "they are born men and free," freedom is a prerogative of humanity (160). He asserts that there is a natural,

Read More
1253 Words | 6 Pages

The questions of the whether social inequality is justified and the extent of government to address said inequality are some of the foundations upon which societies and economies are built. Two key philosophers on this issue – John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau – differ on this subject. In Two Treatises on Government, Locke holds that individuals have a right to property derived from their labor, citizens consent to the existence of inequality in society, and governments are instituted among men to protect said property. In contrast, Rousseau writes in Discourse on the Origin of Inequality and The Social Contract that inequality should be strictly limited and that governments have a duty to act in the best interest of its citizens by maintaining

Read More
1084 Words | 5 Pages

Introduction: While freedom as a concept feels fairly intuitive, nuances in interpretation can change the basis of an argument. John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government and Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America do not define liberty in precisely the same way, which in turn guides two different visions in how a government should function. When examining a core concept in an argument, it is important to inquire to whether its treatment is adequate. Is either definition of liberty sufficient, and does either author’s envisioned government adequately address liberty in that system? This paper will argue that Locke’s definition of liberty remains in the literal sphere while Tocqueville’s is more conceptual, but neither Locke’s nor Tocqueville’s

Read More
1803 Words | 8 Pages

“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains (156).” Here Rousseau says, in possibly his most famous paradox, that when man is born he is free, because he is born in the state of nature. However, in society, man is in chains, and by this he means that modern civil societies have repressed the physical freedoms naturally bestowed upon all men at the time of their birth. He also argues that these states and societies do essentially nothing to affirm or promote the inherent equality and freedom that were part of the agreement to get into civil society in the first place.

Read More
203 Words | 1 Pages

The search for the unknown has been constant in philosophical and scientific revolutions in the west. From Aristotle’s theory of nature and the 4 different cause’s material, formal, efficient and final cause provided some reasoning’s. Then began the search for what it is to be happy? It later evolved into what is it to be an ethical person? A prominent religious and philosophical leader Augustine who had a wide spectrum of influences, struggled in answering questions that where larger than himself whether they were personal or intellectual.

Read More
1061 Words | 5 Pages

I will also answer this with approaches of two philosophers with different perceptions of freedom. One of them is Holbach which is a hard determinist and the other one is Jean-Paul Sartre who an existentialist and argues that humans are radically free. Througouht my essay I will expand to what I said in my thesis and give arguments to support it, explains how the two philoshopers percieve freedom,

Read More
1721 Words | 7 Pages

Introduction The assignment will be investigating the democracy of Aristotle and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Democracy in itself can be very different and varies from form to form. The assignment will investigate Aristotle’s view and Jean Jacques Rousseau concepts on state and man, the governess of the state, freedom and man .Each of these topics will be contrast on the views of Aristotle and Jean Jacques Rousseau alongside each other. Each of these philosophers’ key points will be looked and the inner working of out they thought a city should be run.

Read More
733 Words | 3 Pages

Freedom is more simply explained. It can be defined as one 's ability to dictate one 's own actions. In the book, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, individual freedom has been sacrificed the purpose of a supposedly secure and happy society. The world is controlled by an all-powerful state which is dominated by the study and practice of selective breeding.

Read More
754 Words | 4 Pages

INTRODUCTION Jean Jacque Rousseau was born in the city state of Geneva, Switzerland in 1772. Rousseau is primarily known for major works like- The Social Contract, Emile, Discourse on the origin of Inequality, the Constitutional Project for Corsica, and Consideration on the Government of Poland. What makes Rousseau such an important figure in the history of philosophy is because of his contribution to both political and moral philosophies and his concept of ‘general will’, which also gained him a lot of criticism. Apart from his philosophical and political contribution, he was also a novelist, an autobiographer, botanist, composer and also a music theorist.

Read More
1351 Words | 6 Pages

Thus, both men would evaluate the statement that “in a legitimate state all men are free and there is no inequality,” differently. Rousseau would mostly disagree, holding that the state itself is the impetus for inequality. Hobbes would largely agree, contending that men are equal both in a primitive state of conflict and under a sovereign’s awesome power. These different responses result from the philosophers’ opposing views on fundamental human nature, civil society’s raison d’etre, and government’s inevitable form. --- Rousseau begins his

Read More
999 Words | 4 Pages

Two Concepts of Liberty Summary of the essay: In this essay, the famous political theorist Isaiah Berlin tries to differentiate between the notions of positive liberty and negative liberty. Berlin briefly discusses the meaning of the word ‘freedom’. He says that a person is said to free when no man or body of men interferes with his activity. He makes reference to many philosophers in the essay, but there is more emphasis on the thoughts of J. S. Mill and Rousseau, the former being a firm advocate of negative liberty while the latter believes strongly in the ideals of positive liberty.

Read More

More about Criticisms Of George Hegel's Theories Of Freedom

Related Topics

Open Document