Philia, Recognition, and Justice between Aristotle and Hegel

This chapter shows in what sense the Aristotelian notion of philia is relevant for Hegel’s understanding of the social presuppositions of justice. The path from Aristotle to Hegel is bidirectional. On the one hand, this chapter valorizes the largely Aristotelian heritage present in Hegel’s understanding of political dispositions (Gesinnung). But, on the other hand, such a reconstruction will be conducted from a Hegelian perspective, insofar as it will argue that some Hegelian notions—in particular the notion of “recognition”—can help us to make explicit and reconstruct the Aristotelian theory of philia and its relation to the notion of justice.