Section 340
Original German
340 In das Verhältniß der Staaten gegeneinander, weil sie darin als besondere sind, fällt das höchst bewegte Spiel der innern Besonderheit der Leidenschaften, Interessen, Zwecke, der Talente und Tugenden, der Gewalt, des Unrechts und der Laster, wie der äußern Zufälligkeit, in den größten Dimensionen der Erscheinung, — ein Spiel, worin das sittliche Ganze selbst, die Selbstständigkeit des Staats, der Zufälligkeit ausgesetzt wird. Die Principien der Volksgeister sind um ihrer Besonderheit willen, in der sie als existirende Individuen, ihre objective Wirklichkeit und ihr Selbstbewußtseyn haben, überhaupt beschränkte, und ihre Schicksale und Thaten in ihrem Verhältnisse zu einander sind die erscheinende Dialektik der Endlichkeit dieser Geister, aus welcher der allgemeine Geist, der Geist der Welt, als unbeschränkt eben so sich hervorbringt, als er es ist, der sein Recht, — und sein Recht ist das allerhöchste, — an ihnen in der Weltgeschichte, als dem Weltgerichte, ausübt.
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.
340 In the relation of states to one another, because in it they are particular, there falls the most restlessly moving play of inner particularity, of passions, interests, ends, of talents and virtues, of violence, wrong, and vice, as of external contingency, on the largest scale of appearance—a play in which the ethical whole itself, the independence of the state, is exposed to contingency. The principles of the spirits of peoples are, on account of their particularity, in which they have their objective actuality and their self-consciousness as existing individuals, limited in general, and their fates and deeds in their relation to one another are the appearing dialectic of the finitude of these spirits, out of which the universal spirit, the spirit of the world, produces itself as unlimited, just as it is the one that exercises its right—and its right is the highest of all—upon them in world history, as the judgment of the world.
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.
340 In the relation of states to one another, because they are there as particular states, there falls the most restless play of inner particularity: of passions, interests, purposes, talents and virtues, of violence, wrong and vice, and also of outer chance, on the largest scale of appearance. In this play the ethical whole itself, the independence of the state, is exposed to chance. The principles of the spirits of the peoples are limited in general, because of their particularity. In it they have their objective actuality and their self-consciousness as existing individuals. Their fates and deeds in relation to one another are the appearing dialectic of the finitude of these spirits. Out of it the universal spirit, the spirit of the world, produces itself as unlimited. It is also this spirit that exercises its right on them, and its right is the very highest, in world history as the judgment of the world.
About this section
Section 340 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 342 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.