Hegel on Freedom and Authority

The theories of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel are explored in this look at his conception of an ideal civil society. A conservative authoritarian, Hegel endorsed a market economy that was counterbalanced by an authoritarian prince who acted as protector of the constitution. Though these two concepts seem contradictory, the text suggests that Hegel purposefully contrasts freedom and authority in order to intensify their opposition to the highest degree. His prediction that opposite extremes will bring forth reconciliation makes this treatise the first full-blown modern liberal authoritarian manifesto.