Public Law Studies

The Organic Constitution in Hegel's Thought

Document Type : Article

Authors

Alireza Dabirnia 1
Saeed Barkhordari 2

1 Associate Prof., Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

2 Ph.D. Student in Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22059/jplsq.2023.351921.3228
Abstract
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, the German philosopher, engaged in critical rethinking of constitutionalism and the constitution shortly after the victory of the French Revolution and the adoption of a modern written constitution, as well as the realization of the fundamental ideas of the Enlightenment. Observing the undesirable outcomes of this revolution and the events that followed, Hegel argued that a society cannot be transformed and guided toward the intended goals of a constitution solely through a rational and theoretically ideal constitution viewed from a purely legal perspective. To correct this positivist and formalist view of the constitution, he emphasizes a broader concept of the constitution (referred to in this writing as the organic constitution) under the notion of ethical life within his philosophical system. This text seeks to understand what this constitution entails and its implications for certain concepts and the methodology of constitutional law studies. The organic constitution encompasses all institutions, processes, and political, social, cultural, and economic values of society. The written constitution must align with this ethical system and the organic constitution and should be amended in accordance with the changes and evolution of the spirit of the nation, which is the ethical system itself. Consequently, studies in constitutional law should encompass a broader scope beyond merely the legal study of the text of the constitution.

Keywords

bildung (education and ‎culture)
national spirit
‎ethical life
organic ‎constitution.‎
Subjects

  1. English

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Public Law Studies
Volume 55, Issue 1 - Serial Number 41
Spring 2025
Spring 2025
Pages 223-248

  • Receive Date 01 December 2022
  • Revise Date 10 February 2023
  • Accept Date 22 May 2023

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