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252

|237| According to this determination, the corporation has, under the supervision of the public power, the right to attend to its own interests enclosed within it, to admit members according to the objective qualification of their skill and rectitude, in a number determined by the general context, and to bear, for those belonging to it, care against particular contingencies, as well as for the culture needed for the capacity to be admitted into it — in general, to step in for them as a second family, a position which remains more indeterminate for civil society at large, being more remote from individuals and their particular want.

The tradesman is different from the day-labourer, as from one who is ready for a single, contingent service. The former, who is, or wishes to become, a master, is a member of the association not for a single, contingent acquisition, but for the whole compass, the universal, of his particular subsistence. — Privileges, as the rights of a branch of civil society comprised within a corporation, are distinguished from privileges proper, according to their etymology, in this: that the latter are exceptions from the universal law, according to contingency, while the former are merely legally made determinations that lie in the nature of the particularity of an essential branch of society itself.

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  1. Hegel (Simple) Avatar
    Hegel (Simple)

    § 252: A second family

    What may a corporation do?

    Under the supervision of the state, it may manage its own affairs. It admits members. It judges by whether someone is skilled and upright. And it admits a number that fits the needs of society.

    What does it do for its members?

    It protects them against particular chance events. It takes care of their training. In general, it stands up for them like a second family. The great society is too far from the individual and his want for this.

    Master and day laborer:

    The day laborer takes any work that happens to come. The master, however, is a member of the association. Not for a single job, but for his whole living.

    Special rights:

    A corporation has its own rights. But these are not privileges in the old sense. The old privileges were exceptions from the law that depended on chance. The rights of the corporation, however, come from the nature of its trade. The law has only laid them down.

    Summary: The corporation manages its affairs under the supervision of the state. It admits capable members and cares for them like a second family. Its rights are not exceptions that depend on chance.

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