Abstract

The context in which the author places the concept of substantial morality (Sittlichkeit) is the history of Athens from about 490 to 430 B.C. This facilitates the understanding of a (political) way of life that is quite foreign to us in modern times. This also makes the concept of modern post-traditional morality, which plays a central role in the discussion of Hegel today, easier to understand. The concept of morality as a political category of social interaction thus becomes more vivid. As knowledge in historical and classical philological research has advanced, not every statement of Hegel's remains as meaningful and usable. A language of one's own, which does not just shimmy from Hegel quotation to Hegel quotation, facilitates understanding.