Hegelian constructivism in ethical theory? (original) (raw)

This paper discusses three takes on constructivism and realism in Hegelian ethical theory. Each sees Hegel as socializing Kant’s moral theory, but they locate the role of social constructions differently. The straight social constructivist position is the so-called “standard story” (Pippin, Pinkard, Brandom). The second is Stern’s hybrid of command view of obligatoriness with realism concerning rightness, and the third is so-called “mediated realism” or “sublated constructivism” formulated here. The first has problems in accounting for fallibility and progress, the second with coherence and Hegelian credentials, whereas the third is arguably Hegelian and avoids the problems of the first two.