Section 255
Original German
255 Zur Familie macht die Corporation die zweyte, die in der bürgerlichen Gesellschaft gegründete sittliche Wurzel des Staats aus. Die erstere enthält die Momente der subjectiven Besonderheit und der objectiven Allgemeinheit in substantieller Einheit; die zweyte aber diese Momente, die zunächst in der bürgerlichen Gesellschaft zur in sich reflectirten Besonderheit des Bedürfnisses und Genusses und zur abstracten rechtlichen Allgemeinheit entzweyt sind, auf innerliche Weise vereinigt, so daß in dieser Vereinigung das besondere Wohl als Recht und verwirklicht ist.
Heiligkeit der Ehe, und die Ehre in der Corporation sind die zwey Momente, um welche sich die Desorganisation der bürgerlichen Gesellschaft dreht.
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.
255 Together with the family, the corporation constitutes the second ethical root of the state, the one grounded in civil society. The former contains the moments of subjective particularity and objective universality in substantial unity; the second, however, unites in an inward way these moments, which in civil society are at first sundered into particularity reflected into itself, as the particularity of need and enjoyment, and into abstract legal universality, so that in this union the particular welfare is present as right and is actualized.
The sanctity of marriage and honor in the corporation are the two moments around which the disorganization of civil society turns.
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.
255 Alongside the family, the corporation makes up the second ethical root of the state, a root grounded in civil society. The family holds the moments of subjective particularity and objective universality together in a substantial unity. The corporation does the same with these moments, but they have first been split apart in civil society. There they appear as the particularity of need and enjoyment, reflected into itself, and as an abstract universality of right. The corporation unites them in an inward way, so that in this union the particular welfare is present as a right and is made real.
The sanctity of marriage and honor in the corporation are the two moments on which the disorganization of civil society turns.
About this section
Section 255 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 257 of 362 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
Open the work page for the full contents, every edition, and the download links, or go back to Explore to browse other complete works in the European tradition. The reader keeps your place when you are signed in and lets you compare the original with each translation, one edition at a time.