A pobreza na teoria social hegeliana

Abstract

The dynamics established through the modern expansion of industrial activity, when capitalism was in its early stage of development, brought about changes in social, economic, and political conditions, establishing a new code of conduct for individuals in society. In Elements of the Philosophy of Right, Hegel performs a diagnosis of the pathologies within bourgeois civil society. While, on one hand, the expansion of the market economy fosters the accumulation of wealth, on the other hand, it also generates poverty. Our objective was to analyze Hegel's conception of poverty within civil society. Poverty is a fundamental theme because it challenges the legitimization of rational ethical life and the realization of freedom. Here, we revisit Hegel's steps through his critical legacy, to present his conception, that is, the concept itself, its actuality, and possible solutions to poverty. In the first chapter, we present Hegel's concept of poverty, as it necessarily arises from the dynamics within civil society; in the second, we investigate the consequences of poverty as the loss of what constitutes the fundamental characteristic of modern times—the individual’s subjective freedom, their right to be recognized and honored as such, and the guarantee of existing in and through society; finally, we examine Hegel's proposed solutions for overcoming poverty and establish their limits. A