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What is desire? What are the powers of reason? What drives men to go beyond nature? Where to look for the foundations and fundamental forms of coexistence? Following the thread of these questions, the study aims to set up a theoretical comparison between Hegel and Hobbes, in the belief that an all-out dialogue between the two philosophers can contribute to a better understanding of their respective systems. The examination of the many affinities of problematic approach, as well as of the radical divergences of the solutions, allows the profile of a self-critical modernity to emerge, sensitive to the assumptions of the project of human self-affirmation through reason and artifice.

This thesis aspires to establish a detailed theoretical comparison between the thought of G. W. F. Hegel and that of Thomas Hobbes. It is my contention that the two thinkers have a common starting point on many fundamental problems of human practical life, such as the account of desire and self-consciousness, the role of passion and happiness in human agency, the phenomenon of right and the nature of the political sovereignty of the State. One of my central points will be the deep connection of Hegel's practical thought with two points of the Hobbesian criticism of ancient ethics: namely, the refutation of the classical question of the good life as the basis of human conduct and association, and the superiority of art over nature. Hence, desire is described by both thinkers as a movement of individual self-affirmation and causality over the world, not as a teleological tension towards different kinds of goods; and the human will becomes, for both equally, the source of all practical, juridical and political normativity. Nonetheless, the account of these similarities will be preparatory to the analysis of the crucial differences between Hegel's and Hobbes' solutions. Whereas for Hobbes the limitation of the natural desire of man is the prerequisite for all order, Hegelian Bildung [education] is the mean of the rationalization of desire. In the last analysis, the desire of individuals is for Hegel a form of manifestation of the all-pervading impulse of reason to give itself presence and endurance in reality. ; Ma thèse vise à établir une comparaison détaillée entre la pensée de G.W.F. Hegel et celle de Thomas Hobbes. L'hypothèse avancée par ce travail est la suivante : pour ce qui concerne l'explication de certains phénomènes de la vie pratique – le lien entre désir et conscience de soi, le rôle de la passion et de la félicité dans l'action, la genèse du droit et la nature de la souveraineté étatique – Hegel et Hobbes partagent un même lieu conceptuel de départ. Notamment, deux points fondamentaux de la critique de Hobbes à l'éthique ancienne ont des racines profondes dans la pensée de Hegel : la récusation de la question classique de la vie meilleure, et la supériorité de l'art sur la nature. Le désir est décrit par les deux penseurs en tant que mouvement d'auto-affirmation individuelle, non plus comme une tendance théologiquement orientée ; la volonté de l'homme devient, également, la source de toute normativité. L'enquête sur les affinités aura pourtant une fonction préparatoire à l'analyse des divergences théoriques essentielles entre les deux penseurs. Chez Hobbes, la limitation du désir est la condition de l'édification de l'ordre, tandis que la Bildung [éducation] hégélienne est le moyen de la rationalisation du désir. Finalement, le désir individuel n'est chez Hegel qu'une forme de manifestation du désir de la raison de se donner présence et durée dans la réalité.

This thesis aspires to establish a detailed theoretical comparison between the thought of G. W. F. Hegel and that of Thomas Hobbes. It is my contention that the two thinkers have a common starting point on many fundamental problems of human practical life, such as the account of desire and self-consciousness, the role of passion and happiness in human agency, the phenomenon of right and the nature of the political sovereignty of the State. One of my central points will be the deep connection of Hegel's practical thought with two points of the Hobbesian criticism of ancient ethics: namely, the refutation of the classical question of the good life as the basis of human conduct and association, and the superiority of art over nature. Hence, desire is described by both thinkers as a movement of individual self-affirmation and causality over the world, not as a teleological tension towards different kinds of goods; and the human will becomes, for both equally, the source of all practical, juridical and political normativity. Nonetheless, the account of these similarities will be preparatory to the analysis of the crucial differences between Hegel's and Hobbes' solutions. Whereas for Hobbes the limitation of the natural desire of man is the prerequisite for all order, Hegelian Bildung [education] is the mean of the rationalization of desire. In the last analysis, the desire of individuals is for Hegel a form of manifestation of the all-pervading impulse of reason to give itself presence and endurance in reality. ; Ma thèse vise à établir une comparaison détaillée entre la pensée de G.W.F. Hegel et celle de Thomas Hobbes. L'hypothèse avancée par ce travail est la suivante : pour ce qui concerne l'explication de certains phénomènes de la vie pratique – le lien entre désir et conscience de soi, le rôle de la passion et de la félicité dans l'action, la genèse du droit et la nature de la souveraineté étatique – Hegel et Hobbes partagent un même lieu conceptuel de départ. Notamment, deux points fondamentaux de la critique ...