Section 257
Original German
Dritter Abschnitt.
Der Staat.
257 Der Staat ist die Wirklichkeit der sittlichen Idee, — der sittliche Geist, als der offenbare, sich selbst deutliche, substantielle Wille, der sich denkt und weiß und das was er weiß, und insofern er es weiß, vollführt. An der Sitte hat er seine unmittelbare, und an dem Selbstbewußtseyn des Einzelnen, dem Wissen und Thätigkeit desselben seine vermittelte Existenz, so wie dieses durch die Gesinnung in ihm, als seinem Wesen, Zweck und Produkte seiner Thätigkeit, seine substantielle Freyheit hat.
Die Penaten sind die inneren, untern Götter, der Volksgeist (Athene) das sich wissende und wollende Göttliche; die Pietät die Empfindung und in Empfindung sich benehmende Sittlichkeit — die politische Tugend das Wollen des an und für sich seyenden gedachten Zweckes.
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.
The Third Section.
The State.
257 The state is the actuality of the ethical Idea — ethical spirit as the manifest substantial will, clear to itself, which thinks and knows itself, and carries out what it knows, and in so far as it knows it. In custom it has its immediate existence, and in the self-consciousness of the individual, in his knowledge and activity, its mediated existence, just as the individual, through disposition, has his substantial freedom in the state as his essence, as the end and the product of his activity.
The penates are the inner, lower gods; the spirit of a people (Athena) is the divine that knows and wills itself; piety is ethical life as feeling and as conducting itself in feeling — political virtue is the willing of the thought end that is in and for itself.
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.
Third Section.
The State.
257 The state is the actual reality of the ethical Idea. It is ethical spirit as the revealed substantial will, clear to itself, which thinks and knows itself, and carries out what it knows and as far as it knows it. The state has its immediate existence in custom. It has its mediated existence in the self-consciousness of the individual, in the individual's knowledge and activity. In turn, through his attitude, the individual has his substantial freedom in the state, as in his essence, as in the purpose and product of his activity.
The Penates are the inner, lower gods. The spirit of a people (Athena) is the divine that knows and wills itself. Piety is ethical life as feeling, ethical life that conducts itself in feeling. Political virtue is the willing of the thought purpose that is so in and for itself.
About this section
Section 257 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 259 of 362 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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