Critique of Hegel's 'Philosophy of Right'

Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right is a political and philosophical manuscript by Karl Marx, written in 1843 and published in full only after his lifetime, with the introduction appearing separately in 1844. Marx wrote it as a response to selected passages from Hegel's work on the philosophy of right, focusing on the relationship between civil society and the state. He looks at how the modern state is formed and how a person's life as a private individual and as a citizen can be split apart. He also argues that Hegel often starts from abstraction rather than from social reality.

This book is a good fit for readers interested in political philosophy, early Marx, or the way ideas about state, citizenship, and society take shape through debate with Hegel. It is not an easy or casual text, but it is useful for anyone who wants to see the roots of Marx's critique of the modern state and of the divide between private life and political life. It will appeal to readers who like theoretical writing built around concepts and argument rather than plot. It also sits close to the German philosophical tradition of the nineteenth century.