Plotnikov interprets Hegel‹s philosophical concept in the early works as an attempt to make a systematic connection between two types of rationality in particular: a normative-ethical rationality and an aesthetic-rhetorical rationality. In his »practical philosophy of life,» Hegel outlined a new type of philosophical argument: The standards of the »rational» are acquired by the reflection about its function in historical contexts. Rationality in morality, in the law and in art is analyzed as an intrinsic regulation of practical life and interpersonal communication.