The Scientific Status of Hegel’s Philosophy of Law

Abstract

The paper aims to investigate the scientific claim that Hegel associates with his philosophy of right and to evaluate its relevance, if any, in the history of political science. The essay first identifies some aspects of the Hegelian conception of science, in particular the difference between speculative and intellectual science. On this basis, it aims to display the epistemic structure of the philosophy of right, tracing Hegel’s scientific operation on the knowledge of the time: modern natural law, political economy, legal science and police science.