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Section 82

84 of 362 sections in Elements of the Philosophy of Right by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Original German

Dritter Abschnitt.

Das Unrecht.

82 Im Vertrage ist das Recht an sich als ein Gesetztes, seine innere Allgemeinheit als ein Gemeinsames der Willkühr und besondern Willens. Diese Erscheinung des Rechts, in welchem dasselbe und sein wesentliches Daseyn, der besondere Wille, unmittelbar d. i. zufällig übereinstimmen, geht im Unrecht zum Schein fort, — zur Entgegensetzung des Rechts an sich und des besondern Willens, als in welchem es ein besonderes Recht wird. Die Wahrheit dieses Scheins aber ist, daß er nichtig ist und daß das Recht durch das Negiren dieser seiner Negation sich wieder herstellt, durch welchen Proceß seiner Vermittlung, aus seiner Negation zu sich zurück zu kehren, es sich als Wirkliches und Geltendes bestimmt, da es zuerst nur an sich und etwas Unmittelbares war.

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.

Third Division

Wrong

82 In contract, right in itself is something posited, its inner universality something common to arbitrary choice and particular will. This appearance of right, in which right and its essential existence, the particular will, accord immediately—that is, contingently—passes over in wrong into semblance: into the opposition between right in itself and the particular will, in which right becomes a particular right. The truth of this semblance, however, is that it is null, and that right restores itself by negating this negation of itself. Through this process of mediation, returning to itself out of its negation, right determines itself as actual and valid, whereas at first it was only in itself and something immediate.

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 Division

Wrong

82 In contract, right in itself is something established, and its inner universality is something shared by arbitrary choice and particular will. In this appearance of right, right itself and its essential existence—the particular will—agree immediately, that is, by chance. In wrong, this develops into semblance: right in itself is opposed to the particular will, in which it becomes a particular right. But the truth of this semblance is that it is null. Right restores itself by negating this negation of itself. Through this process of mediation, returning to itself from its negation, right determines itself as actual and valid, whereas at first it existed only in itself and was something immediate.

About this section

Section 82 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 84 of 362 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.

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