Section 1
Original German
Naturrecht
und Staatswissenschaft.
Einleitung.
1 Die philosophische Rechtswissenschaft hat die Idee des Rechts, den Begriff des Rechts und dessen Verwirklichung zum Gegenstande.
Die Philosophie hat es mit Ideen, und darum nicht mit dem, was man bloße Begriffe zu heißen pflegt, zu thun, sie zeigt vielmehr deren Einseitigkeit und Unwahrheit auf, so wie daß der Begriff, (nicht das, was man oft so nennen hört, aber nur eine abstracte Verstandesbestimmung ist) allein es ist, was Wirklichkeit hat und zwar so, daß er sich diese selbst giebt. Alles, was nicht diese durch den Begriff selbst gesetzte Wirklichkeit ist, ist vorübergehendes Daseyn, äußerliche Zufälligkeit, Meynung, wesenlose Erscheinung, Unwahrheit, Täuschung u. s. f. Die Gestaltung, welche sich der Begriff in seiner Verwirklichung giebt, ist zur Erkenntniß des Begriffes selbst, das andere von der Form, nur als Begriff zu seyn, unterschiedene wesentliche Moment der Idee.
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.
Natural Right and the Science of the State
Introduction
1 The philosophical science of right has as its subject the Idea of right: the concept of right and its actualization.
Philosophy concerns itself with Ideas, and therefore not with what are commonly called mere concepts. Rather, it exposes their one-sidedness and untruth, and shows that the concept alone—not what one often hears called by that name, but which is merely an abstract determination of the understanding—has actuality, in such a way that it gives itself this actuality. Everything that is not this actuality posited by the concept itself is transient existence, external contingency, opinion, appearance without essence, untruth, illusion, and so forth. The configuration that the concept gives itself in its actualization is, for knowledge of the concept itself, the Idea’s other essential moment, distinct from the form of being only a concept.
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.
Natural Right and Political Science
Introduction
1 The philosophical science of right deals with the Idea of right: the concept of right and its realization.
Philosophy deals with Ideas, not with what people commonly call mere concepts. It shows how one-sided and untrue these are. It also shows that only the concept has actual reality, and has it by giving it to itself. Here “concept” does not mean what one often hears called by that name, which is only an abstract determination of the understanding. Anything that is not this actual reality established by the concept itself is a passing existence, an external accident, an opinion, an appearance without essence, an untruth, a deception, and so forth. Besides knowledge of the concept itself, the shape that the concept gives itself in realizing itself is the Idea's other essential element. It differs from the form of being only a concept.
About this section
Section 1 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 3 of 362 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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