Phenomenology of Spirit

Ausführung and Prüfung: Hegel’s use of the 'we' in the Phenomenology of Spirit

by Stefano Malfitano

Becoming Spirit: Morality in Hegel's Phenomenology and Bergman's Through a Glass Darkly

by Magdalena Wisniowska

Published in Evental Aesthetics

The following essay brings together philosophy and film. On the one hand, it is a short study of Hegel’s chapter on... more The following essay brings together philosophy and film. On the one hand, it is a short study of Hegel’s chapter on morality in the Phenomenology of Spirit. On the other hand, it deals with some of the moral conflicts presented in Ingmar Bergman’s 1961 film, Through a Glass Darkly. Central to my discussion is the concept of God. I aim to show how God, manifest in absolute Spirit, should not be understood as a transcendental figure located in a beyond, but as a concrete entity found within the acts of forgiveness and reconciliation.

The Contradictions of Moral Life: Hegel's Critique of Kant

by John Russon

Chapter 10 of John Russon, _Reading Hegel's Phenomenology_, (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2004), pp 147-156, (and notes, pp 255-256).

This is an interpretation of the "Morality" section of Hegel's _Phenomenology of Spirit_. I identify the... more This is an interpretation of the "Morality" section of Hegel's _Phenomenology of Spirit_. I identify the central insight of Kant's moral philosophy, explain the core idea involved in Hegel's criticism of Kant's moral position, and then define what Hegel's positive position on morality is.

Selbstbewußtsein und zweite Natur

by Italo Testa

Draft, published in: K. Vieweg & W. Welsch (eds.), Hegels Phänomenologie des Geistes - Ein kooperativer Kommentar zu einem Schlüsselwerk der Moderne, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main, 2008, pp. 286-307

Example, Experiment and Experience in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit

by Nathan Andersen

Dissertation, Pennsylvania State University, January 2000, Thesis Director: John Russon

Determining the character of the relationship between universals and particulars, or between general claims and... more Determining the character of the relationship between universals and particulars, or between general claims and determinate examples thereof is a central concern for epistemology. Hegel examines the theme of examples in relation to knowledge in the first chapter of his Phenomenology of Spirit. He argues that “sense-certainty” – the epistemological stance that takes immediacy to be the criterion for knowledge – fails to recognize the role played by examples in knowledge and experience. Although the theme of example is not explicitly dealt with elsewhere in the text, the question of the relation between universal and particular in knowledge is a crucial one for the Phenomenology of Spirit as a whole. The present study aims to develop the conception of example that is implied within Hegel’s text as a whole.

In addition to attempting a resolution of a number of the criticisms raised against Hegel’s account of “sense-certainty,” the first chapter develops the implications of Hegel’s claim that sense-certainty fails to appreciate the fact that it relies upon a determinate conception of the nature of examples, which undercuts its claims to immediate knowledge. The second chapter focuses upon experimental knowledge, and shows that the turn to experiment in epistemology can be interpreted as an attempt to rethink the nature of examples as they relate to knowledge. Hegel’s basic criticism of the “experimental conception of knowledge” is contrasted with a number of the criticisms that have been raised by recent investigations of experimental practices. Chapters three and four examine Hegel’s conception of self-knowledge, and show that a number of the problems raised within the previous forms of knowing are resolved within the sphere of self-consciousness and “Spirit.” In particular, the final chapter shows that the kind of self-knowing that takes place in the phenomenon of “conscientious forgiveness” has a universality that is attentive to the particularity of the situation wherein it arises. It is argued that to this form of knowledge there corresponds a conception of example – that of “exemplary selfhood” – that can successfully resolve the problem of the relation between universal and particular in knowledge with which the study begins.

Knowledge and Truth: On the Theory of Experience in Hegel’s Introduction to the Phenomenology of Spirit

by Markus Rutsche

(g) Wissen und Wahrheit: Zur Theorie der Erfahrung in Hegels Einleitung zur Phänomenologie des Geistes (Term Paper, Univ. of Tübingen, 2008)

In the history of Western philosophy, few works have developed as outstanding an impact on posterity as has the... more In the history of Western philosophy, few works have developed as outstanding an impact on posterity as has the ‘Phenomenology of Spirit’ by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831). The work includes an elusive number of intertwined issues and predominantly deals with epistemological, ethical and historico-philosophical questions. In the course of the ‘Phenomenology of Spirit’, Hegel draws the picture of a developing consciousness which, starting from simple forms of sensory perception, perfects itself to the absolute knowledge of the weltgeist. From the multitude of problems being treated thereby, this study picks one which appears to be both essential with regards to content as well as highly suitable to providing a first gateway to the often cumbersome thoughts of Hegel: What, from the perspective of the ‘Phenomenology’, is meant by the concept of 'experience', and how does it relate to the complex linkage between knowledge and truth? This question is examined by means of the introduction to the ‘Phenomenology of Spirit’. In addition, the study attempts to clarify the extent to which the original naming of the ‘Phenomenology’ as a ‘Science of the Experience of Consciousness’ might facilitate a deeper understanding of the work’s entire concerns.

Lived Time and Absolute Knowing: Habit and Addiction from Infinite Jest to the Phenomenology of Spirit

by David Morris

Clio: A Journal of Literature, History and the Philosophy of History (2001), 30 . pp. 375-415.

A study of habit and other unconscious backgrounds of action shows how shapes of spiritual life in Hegel’s... more A study of habit and other unconscious backgrounds of action shows how shapes of spiritual life in Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit each imply correlative senses of lived time. The very form of time thus gives spirit a sensuous encounter with its own concept. The point that conceptual content is manifest in the sensuous form of time is key to an interpretation of Hegel’s infamous and puzzling remarks about time and the concept in “Absolute Knowing.” The article also shows how Hegel’s Phenomenology connects with current discussions of lived time, habit, and, via discussion of Wallace’s Infinite Jest, addiction.

CONSCIENCE, RECOGNITION, AND THE IRREDUCIBILITY OF DIFFERENCE IN HEGEL’S CONCEPTION OF SPIRIT

by Nathan Andersen

Published in Idealistic Studies, 35:2, Fall 2005

Hegel’s conception of Spirit does not subordinate difference to sameness, in a way that would make it unusable for a... more Hegel’s conception of Spirit does not subordinate difference to sameness, in a way that would make it unusable for a genuinely intersubjective idealism directed to a comprehensive account of the contemporary world. A close analysis of the logic of recognition and the dialectic of conscience in the Phenomenology of Spirit demonstrates that the unity of Spirit emerges in and through conflict, and is forged in the process whereby particular encounters between differently situated individuals reveal and establish the emerging character and significance of the stances they uniquely occupy.

Spirit and Scepticism

by John Russon

Chapter 9 of John Russon, Reading Hegel's Phenomenology (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009)

This paper investigates the relationship between scepticism and phenomenology in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, and... more This paper investigates the relationship between scepticism and phenomenology in Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, and argues that the Phenomenology as a whole can be understood as articulating the dialectic of scepticism.  I initially consider the dialectic of scepticism in the "Self-Consciousness" chapter, and then consider how scepticism is at play throughout the "Spirit" chapter.

Temporality and the Future of Philosophy in Hegel's Phenomenology

by John Russon

International Philosophical Quarterly, 48 (2008): 59-68

In "Sense-Certainty" Hegel establishes "the now that is many nows" as the form of... more In "Sense-Certainty" Hegel establishes "the now that is many nows" as the form of experience.  This has implications for the interpretation of later figures within the Phenomenology of Spirit: specifically, the thing (from Chapter 2), the living body (from Chapter 4), and the ethical community (from Chapter 6) are each significantly different forms of such a "now" in which the way that past and future are held within the present differs.  Comparing these changing "temporalities" allows us to defend Hegel's distinction between nature and spirit, and his claim that only spirit has a history.  This comparison also allows us to see how it is that phenomenological philosophy, and the "end of history" that it announces, is a stance of openness to the future.