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Rating: 
Summary: An important contribution
Review: Alan Patten's presentation of Hegel's political philosophy is developed in what he calls the "civic humanist" reading. This is a welcome addition to the literature on Hegel scholarship focusing on the issue of freedom. This book was very helpful for my own research and was a true pleasure to read because it is written in a style of prose familiar to contemporary philosophers trained in the analytic tradition, it links Hegel's ideas more closely with those of Kant, and places Hegel within the more mainstream tradition of political theory. Patten's discussion of Hegel's discussion of property rights is especially interesting. Most important, this study places Hegel within a line of thought that is remarkably similar to the civic republican tradition (which is probably why Patten favors a 'civic humanist' reading). Taken together, Patten re-emphasizes the central importance of Hegel's thought for more contemporary political philosophy. People who avoid Hegel because of his highly specialzied terminology or simply dismiss him as irelevant would do well to read this tightly argued work.
Rating:
Summary: An important contribution
Review: Alan Patten's presentation of Hegel's political philosophy is developed in what he calls the "civic humanist" reading. This is a welcome addition to the literature on Hegel scholarship focusing on the issue of freedom. This book was very helpful for my own research and was a true pleasure to read because it is written in a style of prose familiar to contemporary philosophers trained in the analytic tradition, it links Hegel's ideas more closely with those of Kant, and places Hegel within the more mainstream tradition of political theory. Patten's discussion of Hegel's discussion of property rights is especially interesting. Most important, this study places Hegel within a line of thought that is remarkably similar to the civic republican tradition (which is probably why Patten favors a 'civic humanist' reading). Taken together, Patten re-emphasizes the central importance of Hegel's thought for more contemporary political philosophy. People who avoid Hegel because of his highly specialzied terminology or simply dismiss him as irelevant would do well to read this tightly argued work.
Rating:
Summary: Award winner
Review: This book was awarded the Best First Book Award from the Foundations of Political Theory section of the American Political Science Association. The award citation reads: "Alan Patten's Hegel's Idea of Freedom is an impressive intellectual achievement very much deserving of the Foundations of Political Theory First Book Prize. Written in vivid but jargon-free prose, Hegel's Idea of Freedom offers a philosophically rigorous account of the central place of the concept of freedom in Hegel's political theory, rightly underscoring the manner in which Hegel's complex discussion of Sittlichkeit (Ethical life) plays a pivotal role in the German philosopher's thinking about western modernity. Although hardly uncritical of Hegel, Patten provides a cautiously supportive exegesis of Hegel's interpretation of the modern world and its core institutions. Patten not only shows how Hegel's argument represents a judicious defense of the quintessentially modern quest to make freedom the central organizing principle of social and political life, but also why Hegel's theoretical framework provides him with the resources necessary to defend key aspects of modernity against critics of many different political and philosophical persuasions. Without overstating his claims, Patten provocatively suggests that Hegel still speaks to contemporary political theory in a host of interesting ways. Patten's book not only revisits Hegel's ideas about many traditional issues in political theory (for example, property and the social contract), but it also offers an excellent critical discussion of major attempts within recent philosophy (for example, in the work of Charles Taylor) to rely on Hegel for contemporary purposes. By emphasizing a side of Hegel's political philosophy often neglected by both sympathizers and detractors, Patten also makes an important contribution towards revising standard accounts of Hegel's place within the history of modern political thought."
Rating:
Summary: Award winner
Review: This book was awarded the Best First Book Award from the Foundations of Political Theory section of the American Political Science Association. The award citation reads: "Alan Patten's Hegel's Idea of Freedom is an impressive intellectual achievement very much deserving of the Foundations of Political Theory First Book Prize. Written in vivid but jargon-free prose, Hegel's Idea of Freedom offers a philosophically rigorous account of the central place of the concept of freedom in Hegel's political theory, rightly underscoring the manner in which Hegel's complex discussion of Sittlichkeit (Ethical life) plays a pivotal role in the German philosopher's thinking about western modernity. Although hardly uncritical of Hegel, Patten provides a cautiously supportive exegesis of Hegel's interpretation of the modern world and its core institutions. Patten not only shows how Hegel's argument represents a judicious defense of the quintessentially modern quest to make freedom the central organizing principle of social and political life, but also why Hegel's theoretical framework provides him with the resources necessary to defend key aspects of modernity against critics of many different political and philosophical persuasions. Without overstating his claims, Patten provocatively suggests that Hegel still speaks to contemporary political theory in a host of interesting ways. Patten's book not only revisits Hegel's ideas about many traditional issues in political theory (for example, property and the social contract), but it also offers an excellent critical discussion of major attempts within recent philosophy (for example, in the work of Charles Taylor) to rely on Hegel for contemporary purposes. By emphasizing a side of Hegel's political philosophy often neglected by both sympathizers and detractors, Patten also makes an important contribution towards revising standard accounts of Hegel's place within the history of modern political thought."
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