Section 120
Original German
120 Das Recht der Absicht ist, daß die allgemeine Qualität der Handlung nicht nur an sich sey, sondern von dem Handelnden gewußt werde, somit schon in seinem subjectiven Willen gelegen habe; so wie umgekehrt, das Recht der Objectivität der Handlung, wie es genannt werden kann, ist, sich vom Subject als Denkendem als gewußt und gewollt zu behaupten.
Dieß Recht zu dieser Einsicht führt die gänzliche oder geringere Zurechnungsunfähigkeit der Kinder, Blödsinnigen, Verrückten u. s. f. bey ihren Handlungen mit sich. — Wie aber die Handlungen nach ihrem äußerlichen Daseyn Zufälligkeiten der Folgen in sich schließen, so enthält auch das subjective Daseyn die Unbestimmtheit, die sich auf die Macht und Stärke des Selbstbewußtseyns und der Besonnenheit bezieht, — eine Unbestimmtheit, die jedoch nur in Ansehung des Blödsinns, der Verrücktheit, u. dergleichen wie des Kindesalters in Rücksicht kommen kann, — weil nur solche entschiedene Zustände den Charakter des Denkens und der Willensfreyheit aufheben und es zulassen, den Handelnden nicht nach der Ehre, ein Denkendes und ein Wille zu seyn, zu nehmen.
Musean translation
Machine-assisted Musean translation made directly from Hegel's German in the Berlin Nicolai first edition, dated 1821. Complete preface, introduction and sections 1–360, including the author's remarks and notes; no later Gans additions.
120 The right of intention is that the universal quality of the action be not only in itself, but be known by the agent, and thus already have lain in his subjective will; just as, conversely, the right of the objectivity of the action, as it may be called, is to assert itself as known and willed by the subject as a thinking being.
This right to such insight brings with it the complete or partial non-imputability of children, the feeble-minded, the insane, and so on, in their actions. — But as actions, according to their external being-there, include contingencies of consequences, so too the subjective being-there contains the indeterminacy that relates to the power and strength of self-consciousness and of presence of mind — an indeterminacy which, however, can come into consideration only in regard to feeble-mindedness, insanity, and the like, as to childhood, — because only such decided states cancel the character of thinking and of freedom of the will, and allow the agent not to be taken according to the honor of being a thinking being and a will.
Plain English translation
Independent machine-assisted Plain English translation made directly from the German first-edition source, not from the Musean edition or an existing English translation. Complete preface, introduction and sections 1–360 with the author's remarks and notes.
120 The right of intention is that the universal quality of the action must not only be so in itself but must be known by the person acting, and so must already have lain in his subjective will. Conversely, the right of the action's objectivity, as it may be called, is that the action asserts itself as known and willed by the subject as a thinking being.
This right to such insight carries with it the complete or partial inability to be held responsible of children, the feeble-minded, the insane and so on, for their actions. — But just as actions in their external existence involve contingent consequences, so subjective existence also involves an indefiniteness, which relates to the power and strength of self-consciousness and of presence of mind. This indefiniteness can come into account only in the case of feeble-mindedness, insanity and the like, and in the case of childhood. Only such definite states remove the character of thinking and freedom of will, and make it possible not to treat the person acting according to the honor of being a thinking being and a will.
About this section
Section 120 is part of Elements of the Philosophy of Right by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. This page sets the German original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 122 of 362 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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