Why is Hegel still relevant: contract and value in the Philosophy of Right

Abstract

This article offers a reading of the theories of contract and value developed in Hegel’s Philosophy of Right. We show how the circular shape emblematic of Hegel’s philosophy allows both to make sense of the ambiguous stance of Hegel towards liberalism and to clarify the relationship between the Hegelian conception of value and that developed by Marx and some of his continuators. The article then studies how Hegel’s analyses of contract and value shed light on the dynamics of neoliberalism. These analyses are shown to anticipate both early descriptions of neoliberal capitalism (Bourdieu, Foucault) and contemporary works (Fraser, Honneth, Jaeggi).