Philosophy

Phenomenology of Spirit

Phenomenology of Spirit

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  • Author：Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
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Summary

Perhaps one of the most revolutionary works of philosophy ever presented， The Phenomenology of Spirit is Hegel's 1807 work that is in numerous ways extraordinary。 It begins with a Preface， created after the rest of the manuscript was completed， that explains the core of his method and what sets it apart from any preceding philosophy。 The Introduction， written before the rest of the work， summarizes and completes Kant's ideas on skepticism by rendering it moot and encouraging idealism and self-realization。 The body of the work is divided into six sections of varying length， entitled "Consciousness，" "Self-Consciousness，" "Reason，" "Spirit，" "Religion，" and "Absolute Knowledge。" A myriad of topics are discussed， and explained in such a harmoniously complex way that the method has been termed Hegelian dialectic。 Ultimately， the work as a whole is a remarkable study of the mind's growth from its direct awareness to scientific philosophy， proving to be a difficult yet highly influential and enduring work。

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Reviews

Chance Harvey ，

Shit man。 I mean this IS just the most convoluted text ever written。 However， it is beautiful。 When it finally clicks， you literally feel like your capable of magic when reading it。 It is pure linguistic essence。

Francesco Gironi ，

"Infatti la sua libertà， ossia il suo essere per sé， consiste proprio in questo: nel rapportarsi alla propria componente necessaria come se essa fosse un che d'indifferente" 🖤 "Infatti la sua libertà， ossia il suo essere per sé， consiste proprio in questo: nel rapportarsi alla propria componente necessaria come se essa fosse un che d'indifferente" 🖤 。。。more

Frank Rissanen ，

Already in the preface Hegel states that the apparently teleological character of "the Phenomenology of the Spirit" is actually a kind of circular process of manifestation where the self returns to itself after suffering the path of negativity。 Here Hegel himself appears not only in form but also in terms of content， to contradict the same principle that the preface starts with - namely that prefaces should never be understood as an anticipation of the writing itself。 In the final chapter， Absol Already in the preface Hegel states that the apparently teleological character of "the Phenomenology of the Spirit" is actually a kind of circular process of manifestation where the self returns to itself after suffering the path of negativity。 Here Hegel himself appears not only in form but also in terms of content， to contradict the same principle that the preface starts with - namely that prefaces should never be understood as an anticipation of the writing itself。 In the final chapter， Absolute Knowledge， he then returns to this same point， that "the result is the same as the beginning， only because the beginning is the end"。 It may not be so surprising then that he in the preface also writes that "the true is its own becoming， the circle which presupposes its endpoint as its goal has it as its beginning and is real only throughexecution and its end point”。 Here， Hegel seems to assume that we as readers should in advance should buy his scheme that the metaphysical whole， the ultimate reality， has a circular structure。 We are expected to， on blind faith， accept that the ultimate reality will have a coherent formation at all。 I find this to be absurd in itself。 What guarantees it from not being an abrupt discontinuity？ Nothing， of course！ But on top of that Hegel seems to expect us to accept that this coherent formation was first understood in particular by none other than Hegel himself as circular/teleological structure of spiritual self realization。 Furthermore， it seems unreasonable to me to think that the telos， the Absolute knowing， can be understood the totality and at the same time be not be any of its parts。 This is something that Hegel in my humble opinion himself contradicts。 For a teleology to even make sense it must be conceptualized as some kind of result， and not the totality of all being。 Because a totality of all being must necessarily include the path that led there it is therefore dependent on its parts， which are not Absolute。 Since the totality is comprised out of its moments wich constantly lapse and disappears from reality they arrive at a result。How can a concoction of non-Absolute moments ever hope to be fully express the Absolute truth in a piece of 19th-century German book？ All utterances of the Absolute must be conveyed in limited mediums， whether through thought， speech， writing or any other means of communication。 That's why Hegel necessarily misses the mark because the Absolute is presented in the form of a result， which he himself admits it cannot be reduced to - since it should be understood as the totality。 What is the Phenomenology of Spirit but if not a result of Hegel？ If what I claim is true， then what is the point of even trying to answer that question， after allit too takes the form of a linguistic path leading to a linguistic result in the form of a respons。 The phenomenology of spirit itself is a partial book。 And with that said， what began as ait tender and respectful reading of Hegel was completely torn apart my own view of Hegel and thrown us both doen in the abysmal and night-black negativity。 What might rise from the ashes remains to be seen。 。。。more

Balder ，

I suppose this work does showcase the sought-after departure from Kant。 Some would say， a solution to the Kantian dilemma of realizing that noumena and appearance are essentially of different natures。 Hegel makes this distinction into an entirely immanent process。 It is this that gives Hegel his value。 The problem， however， is that his account is entirely descriptive。 We have one argument in the preface， which goes against Kant's distinction， which goes along these very pragmatic lines: We shoul I suppose this work does showcase the sought-after departure from Kant。 Some would say， a solution to the Kantian dilemma of realizing that noumena and appearance are essentially of different natures。 Hegel makes this distinction into an entirely immanent process。 It is this that gives Hegel his value。 The problem， however， is that his account is entirely descriptive。 We have one argument in the preface， which goes against Kant's distinction， which goes along these very pragmatic lines: We should not fear error to the point of robbing ourselves of the light of truth！ This is a beautiful insight， one that is held dear in the later （heavily Hegel-inspired） pragmatists。 But is this enough to take us from Kant？ To me。。。 no。 Hegel， at best， provides an obnoxious alternative。 A variant description， one that is admittedly very attractive， to the Kantian description of the way in which our mind interfaces with the world。 I believe Hegel is right， but I do not believe he provides an understandable enough account for us to know whether he is right。 His arguments are hidden， underneath the surface， implied。 Reading previous work from Hegel also does not help。 He does not proceed by way of argument， like Kant does。 This is what phenomenology does， of course， and it is by design。 But what are we to do make of it all？ How are we supposed to be convinced？ Are we just mean to take the pragmatic point for granted？ Are we to engage in this practical faith？ Why should we？To me， we are still stuck in Kantian territory。 If we want to proceed from him， it seems that we do so by way of faith。 Hegel does not provide us with reasons to become more faithful， other than the fact that he shows us where we could end up， given this faith。 We want the unification of substance and appearance。 Making the distinction immanent， that is， making the in-itself into perception and the for-itself our self-awareness of these immediate experiences is one way to achieve this。 But is this not subsumable under Kant， still？ How the hell do we get beyond Kant by way of argument？ Alternate descriptions are just not enough。 Why should we accept immediacy as the thing-in-itself？ It's just not enough。 I was hoping it would be。 I would not say Hegel is worth the effort。 He doesn't do what we need him to do， as a supposed post-Kantian who solves philosophy。 It's just not there。 I need a break from Hegel， a long break。 Maybe his Logic， next， I don't know。 This was a frightful， disappointing， and depressing experience。 。。。more

Drew Newitt ，

Haven't rated this book because that seems to assume I grasped it well enough to do so。 I didn't。 This was an incredibly difficult text that I don't feel equipped to evaluate， but I do feel like I walked away with two important takeaways。1） While Hegel， because he's writing in 19th century Germany， frames it as the difference between concept and object， this is largely a book about the trauma of mediation， namely， the fact that mediation itself generates a variety of anxieties about， approaches Haven't rated this book because that seems to assume I grasped it well enough to do so。 I didn't。 This was an incredibly difficult text that I don't feel equipped to evaluate， but I do feel like I walked away with two important takeaways。1） While Hegel， because he's writing in 19th century Germany， frames it as the difference between concept and object， this is largely a book about the trauma of mediation， namely， the fact that mediation itself generates a variety of anxieties about， approaches to， ignorances of， supposed solutions to， and celebrations of the problem that all knowledge is mediated by something。 In a sense， then， Hegel is not only the first theorist of semiotics， but also exceeds much of later structuralism and post-structuralism by noting that the absolute （Saussure） or sometimes relative （Peirce） difference between signifier and signified is itself productive of a variety of emotional responses and positions one can take on the question of knowledge。 Hegel marks a retroactive step beyond the structural and post-structural insofar as he recognizes that the problem of concept/object does not simply mean we cannot assuredly know anything， but rather that this problem generates a great deal of approaches， some which claim knowledge is not possible， some that anxiously grasp for immediacy or leave behind the material world entirely， some that recognize it is the very fact of mediation that unites knowers with the object of knowledge， generating a great deal of creative output in religion， art， language， etc。 To put it another way， the split between concept/object is an original trauma （the Lacanian interpellation into the symbolic， maybe）， a productive wound that silently drives the motions of this book from consciousness to self-consciousness， to Reason， to Spirit， and ultimately to the recognition of mediation in what Hegel calls Religion， Art， and Absolute Knowing， where （in my reading） the inability to do away with mediation results in a new creative focus on mediation itself as the means by which concept/object are held as distinct AND as the same。 Thus， it is this very trauma that allows us to think the universal， to compare and categorize， and to cognize knowledge as a goal to pursue。 This takeaway--that the mismatch between signifier and signified is both a difference and a productive unity--really strikes me as the only answer I have found to poststructuralism。 Instead of seeing the trauma of mediation as only and always evincing the fact that we can never truly know anything， for Hegel （and for Marx， in a different way） it is mediation that unites subject and object in both problematic and generative ways。 Indeed， one might come away from this text thinking that the signifier-signified distance is in itself a sufficient explanation for the very possibility of change， history， temporality， religion， politics， ideology， etc。 But I think in order to get there Zizek is right: we need tools from psychoanalysis。2） In sections A and B， Hegel is directing us towards the idea that in order to justify knowledge claims or make sense of knowing writ large， the 'shape' with which we approach the question of knowledge must be intersubjective。 However， contra Husserl and some social theorists/sociologists who are content to say that knowledge is intersubjective or relational and consider this claim as groundbreaking in itself， Hegel shows us that， although knowledge is relational， there are a lot of intersubjective situations and relations that are NOT constitutive of knowledge。 This is especially clear in section B， self-consciousness， with the Lord-Bondsman dialectic， where the problem is both the intertwining of the pursuit of knowledge with desire and the limitations of binary relations。 We need at least a triad， but even then--as we see in section C。 （BB）， Spirit--not all triadic， intersubjective relations work。 This strikes me as a significant move forward in the sociology of knowledge。 Final note: could not be more convinced that this book is not worth reading alone。 Do it with a group。 I would have drowned reading this book alone。 。。。more

。。。 ，

The knowledge or knowing which is at the start or is immediately our object cannot be anything else but immediate knowledge itself， a knowledge of the immediate or of what simply is。 Our approach to the object must also be immediate or receptive; we must alter nothing in the object as it presents itself。 In apprehending it， we must refrain from trying to comprehend it。 nvm lol i didmt want to read hegel anyway 。。。

Saya Capponcelli ，

impegnativo ma illuminante

⍋❅ Jackson ❅⍋ ，

This book gave me an aneurysm Thanks Hegel This book gave me an aneurysm Thanks Hegel 。。。more

Linda Harvey ，

one of the books of all time

Xiiz ，

Yay！！ After more than a month， I have finished my first Hegel's book， and this may be my last book for quite sometime because my kindle stopped working。 sadge life:（。 Still， for my personal comprehension， here are a few of my brief notes and reflections on it。The Phenomenology of Spirit is divided into three main sections: "The Consciousness"， "The Self-Consciousness" and "Reason"。 So， the first section of the book is devoted to a detailed analysis of the different stages that consciousness goes Yay！！ After more than a month， I have finished my first Hegel's book， and this may be my last book for quite sometime because my kindle stopped working。 sadge life:（。 Still， for my personal comprehension， here are a few of my brief notes and reflections on it。The Phenomenology of Spirit is divided into three main sections: "The Consciousness"， "The Self-Consciousness" and "Reason"。 So， the first section of the book is devoted to a detailed analysis of the different stages that consciousness goes through as it evolves。 Hegel starts with the most basic level of consciousness， which he calls “sense-certainty”。 This is the level at which we are only aware of the immediate， physical world around us and have no concept of anything beyond that。 From there， he moves on to “perception”， in which we start to see the world around us as more than just a collection of random objects， but as a world that has order and structure。 The next stage is “understanding”， in which we begin to see the world not just as an ordered structure， but as a system that has meaning and purpose。In "The Self-Consciousness" section， Hegel looks at how we come to form ideas about ourselves。 He argues that our sense of self is not something that we are born with; instead， it is something that we develop over time。 Hegel also argues that our sense of self is intimately bound up with our relations with other people。 This is because we only come to fully understand ourselves through our interactions with others。The third section， "Reason，" （which， in my opinion， is the most difficult to comprehend， and which I also don't entirely understand now and may need to reread thoroughly）， contains Hegel's account of the development of our reason。 Hegel argues that reason is the highest form of human cognition， and that it enables us to understand the world in a comprehensive and coherent way。 Hegel also discusses the role of art and religion in the development of our reason， and argues that they both play an important role in the development of our self-consciousness。Overall， Hegel’s The Phenomenology of Spirit is a detailed， well-argued exploration of the nature of human consciousness。 Hegel’s concepts are complex and sometimes difficult to grasp， but the book is well worth the effort。 It is a thought-provoking and insightful work that is sure to leave the reader with a greater understanding of the human condition。 。。。more

Andriana Black ，

If you can't convince them， confuse them。 If you can't convince them， confuse them。 。。。more

Marta Kazic ，

I will never understand this fucking book

Flubba ，

reading this puts me in a meditative state， words passing by leaving no impression whatsoever

Cory ，

It is often said that Hegel is the shadow from which philosophy will never emerge from behind， though this is perhaps to paint Hegel too ominously， if only giving weight to the enormity of influence he has cast。 Given his theory of self-consciousness， I would much prefer to describe Hegel as the philosopher who shed an indelible light。 According to Hegel， theories of knowledge that are supported via the illustration of metaphors that use instruments or mediums are misleading insofar as instrumen It is often said that Hegel is the shadow from which philosophy will never emerge from behind， though this is perhaps to paint Hegel too ominously， if only giving weight to the enormity of influence he has cast。 Given his theory of self-consciousness， I would much prefer to describe Hegel as the philosopher who shed an indelible light。 According to Hegel， theories of knowledge that are supported via the illustration of metaphors that use instruments or mediums are misleading insofar as instruments are used for grasping knowledge and mediums allow us to receive empirical data passively。 Both of these metaphors， in which Kant's epistemological constitution of the understanding and the thing in itself are included， distort reality。 For in this correspondence theory of truth， the world in itself is taken on one hand and the world of ideas， concepts， mind， thoughts， words， etc。， are taken on the other。 It is through correspondence of our representations to the world as it really exists that we acquire knowledge。 Hegel does away with this dualism， and challenges skepticism at even greater lengths than Kant did with Hume; where Kant presented the categories， Hegel claims that the skeptic knower is in constant worry about whether their perceptions correspond to reality。 Consciousness is the beginning of Hegel's epistemology， like Descartes and Kant before him， but his claim that consciousness goes all the way down shows us that the moment that we arrive on the scene， consciousness and reality are so dialectically enmeshed that we can never have access to anything unmediated by concepts。 Objects can only be experienced through consciousness， so there is no point where consciousness ends and reality begins; our conceptions of the world are the things in themselves。 Our knowledge of the world is therefore self-knowledge。 It follows that our criteria for truth is to what degree conceptions satisfy our longing for self-recognition。 When a child plays in nature or with blocks， for example， the child is in no way trying to get in touch with objects as they really exist in themselves， but instead projects the self onto the objects of the world， and for that reason returns to the objects again and again as they learn about themselves as they shape the world in their image。 Because concepts are not universal， as we change so the world changes， meaning categories are historical and changeable。 It is through desire and recognition that we may come into our own personhood。 It is for this reason that concepts are always moving towards a greater understanding in absolute idealism。 Therein the dialectic of lord and bondsman is underway as the subject toils in the world out of desire and want for recognition while encountering the Other， for which they see themselves in without having the full agency of self-knowledge but only a partial understanding of the self as will and power and the Other as an agent of similar desires for which the world bends， engaging the two in a life and death struggle against each other out of competition。 Eventually， one party submits to the will of the other and assumes the role of the slave。 The master no longer toils at the expenditure of the will， and therefore achieves leisure。 However， because of this， the master can derive no sense of value from the toiling of the slave and so only sees the slave as means rather than an end in themselves （see Kantian ethics）， undifferentiated in nature without anything to add to petty tasks。 The slave's choice to bend to the will of the master leaves them chained at the will， used as a means， and yet the slave still toils and creates the world in his own image and for his own end。 The slave becomes less alienated and grows self-conscious as the master slips into lassitude， eventually enslaving the master， at which point the process repeats。 These revolutions are mediated by Others in the dialectic; therefore， the discovery of the self is in Others， necessitating not only the recognition of the other as a self unto its own， but the resulting reconciliation of the two。 Both possess half freedoms， freedoms that contrast from Rousseau's claim that "man is born free and yet everywhere he is in chains，" Hegel instead opting that man is born alienated and that it is through our interaction with Others that we become free， freedom meaning self-conscious and "active" to borrow a phrase from Spinoza。 The capacity for self-recognition lying in the consequent self of the other along with the required reconciliation between them presents us with a philosophy contingent on compassion， which is certainly the most beautiful part of Hegel’s exposition。 It is only through these avenues by which we become free， and so the anxiety of redemption calls upon the ethical realm （the mere mention of the anxiety of Being should trigger one’s awareness of the influence Hegel would have upon existentialism）。 Here， we are treated to Hegel’s system of ethics which are to be more fully extrapolated in his Philosophy of Right。 For the time， it is best to see Hegel as expanding upon Kant’s system， though with a generous helping of Aristotle。 His section dedicated to notions about the good life are brief in the grander scope of the book， and they are perhaps slightly less obscure than the most difficult to discern passages of， say， his section on Reason （let there be no misunderstanding that even the most lucid passages are still more difficult than Kant）。 It could be said that the elimination of those parts of Kant’s moral theory that concern themselves with the establishment of certain strictures that ultimately are the formulation of Kant himself despite his claims of their status as anything but his personal preferences， in some way saves Kant’s moral theory from itself， though it is unclear whether Hegel is simply， by pulling from Aristotle， showing his own biases。 Nonetheless， his ideas concerning the ultimate spirit of man leads him to such conclusions as the family as the natural ethical engagement and communities as the building blocks of the fully realizing subject under the state。 It is easy to see how Hegel would both influence leftists like Marx or any number of anarchists who were critical of the logical conclusion of his communitarian arguments， while also profoundly influencing traditionalist conservatives like Bradley and Scruton who rely on the ideas of the community while also defending the concept of the sovereign nation and the religious community that realizes Spirit in both the endeavors of philosophy and religion， particularly the recognition found in the wholly man and wholly God （other） Christ， who we are fully in through His sacrifice。 Perhaps the most ambitious work of philosophy and the last of the great systematizers， Hegel’s Phenomenology is， depending on who you ask， either a work worth not only wading through with great difficulty but extolling the virtues of （compassion not least among them）， or a work from which we will never recover。A Few Secondary Sources You Might Want To Seek Out （which are quite necessary; I personally could not have made it without them）:Cognition: An Introduction to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit by Tom RockmoreA Short History of Modern Philosophy and Modern Philosophy: An Introduction and Survey， both by Roger ScrutonThe Cambridge Companion to Hegel 。。。more

Nothing Heretosee ，

phenomenal ！ i mean the first third。the rest， well what it is。

toniiiiiiiiiiiiii ，

I barely have the mental acuity to comprehend "The Very Hungry Caterpillar，" let alone Hegelian Dialectics I barely have the mental acuity to comprehend "The Very Hungry Caterpillar，" let alone Hegelian Dialectics 。。。more

Nicolas Name ，

Gibberish， pretentious nonsense。 The arguments are barely visible underneath the incoherent manner of expressing them， and when they are visible， they aren’t profound or insightful or true， but uninteresting， shallow， or simply incorrect or rather bad arguments。

Carl Hindsgaul ，

Hegel is like cigarettes - difficult to get used to at first， oddly addicting after a certain point， and eventually inflicting immense pain and suffering。 This review will not focus on the content of the book but on: a） Warnings， b） Prerequisites， c） Methods of reading and learning， and d） The overall positives of reading the Phenomenology of Spirit。This book is immensely difficult。 Do not read it unless you verge on the masochistic and have a specific， strong reason for doing so， whether idiosy Hegel is like cigarettes - difficult to get used to at first， oddly addicting after a certain point， and eventually inflicting immense pain and suffering。 This review will not focus on the content of the book but on: a） Warnings， b） Prerequisites， c） Methods of reading and learning， and d） The overall positives of reading the Phenomenology of Spirit。This book is immensely difficult。 Do not read it unless you verge on the masochistic and have a specific， strong reason for doing so， whether idiosyncratic or rational。 This is because it takes， probably， around 4-5x the time to read a page （if not more） compared to normal philosophy （and so maybe 10-15x more time per page than reading fiction）。 Add around 30% time spent on secondary literature - and a seemingly endless stream of pain and suffering。 This is， of course， if you intend on actually understanding Hegel。 If you so desire， you can skim or simply read the pages without stopping and thinking about them - and consequently not get anything out of it。 However， that would be an even bigger waste of time than actually understanding the book。 And for most people， understanding this book will be a waste of time relative to reading easier authors， since you might be able to read 10 books instead of it。 That is why I said you have to have strong motives for reading it。Even if you are well-versed in philosophy， this will be more difficult than anything you have read before， including Hegel’s other works and writers like Derrida， Heidegger， and Aristotle。 These are all ‘easy’， compared to Hegel。 Especially the last two。 If you do decide to read it， you can ignore around 30% of the book without losing significant understanding。 For the sake of saving just a bit of your sanity， read only the selected parts noted at the end of this review。If you want to give this book a try， see whether you understand the chapter on ‘Consciousness’。 If you cannot for the life of you understand this chapter， you might as well save your time and quit right away。 It will not get any easier， save for the odd paragraph here and there of course。When all is set and done， many fun， thought-provoking， interesting， and learning experiences will follow from reading this book according to the instructions given in this review。 So go ahead and give it a try， if you dare。With regard to the benefits of reading this book， it provides you most notably with:Insight into a unique thought pattern （dialectics）， which will further your conceptual analytical skills。Good or at least interesting critiques of many philosophical schools as well as cultural and religious phenomena。Understanding of an immensely influential piece of philosophy。 Much of subsequent continental philosophy is heavily influenced by Hegel， and The Phenomenology in particular。 Bragging rights - you just finished one of the most difficult and important works of philosophy ever written。Prerequisites for reading this book are: 1） Knowledge of Kantian， Aristotelian， and Platonic philosophies are musts。 And knowledge of Stoicism， Skepticism， Spinozism， and the philosophy of Schelling will be very helpful， especially the latter two。 Knowledge of Parmenides and Heraclitus will also help you out。 2） Basic knowledge of Protestantism as well as Ancient Roman and Ancient Greek society are musts。 3） A strong power of will and acute abstract reasoning skills are musts。4） Secondary literature is necessary to grasp the meaning of the Phenomenology of Spirit。 However， do NOT read continental or Marxist commentators。 Read modern secondary literature that has the specific aim of helping students understand the overall structure and the key points of each chapter。 Two books are far and away the best: a） Jon Stewart’s The Unity of Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit， and b） The Routledge Guidebook to Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit。 Both are impressively easy to read yet capture much of the important points in Hegel - a feat almost as impressive as The Phenomenology of Spirit itself。 5） Preferably， you have someone to discuss what you are reading with。 Speaking and listening are both important in this regard。 Discuss as often as possible and in as much detail as possible， as well as periodical overviews。6） Preferably， you have read some of Hegel’s other works。 I can personally recommend reading the Encyclopaedia Logic first， though you should not read the actual system of logic （which I mistakenly did）; just read the first， introductory section （around 130 pages）。The selected parts for reading are the following， and they should be read in this order:Introduction， which is 12 pages。Consciousness， which is 44 pages。Self-consciousness， which is 34 pages。The beginning of Reason: §231-244， which together are 9 pages。 The middle part of Reason: §347-393， which together are 24 pages。The introduction to Spirit and the part called ‘A。 True spirit。 Ethical life’: §438-455， §477-479， and §527-673， which together are 110 pages。Selected paragraphs of Religion: §672-684， §698-702， §710， §716， §748-753， §759-769， and §779-787， which together are 32 pages。Absolute Knowing， which is 15 pages。Preface， which is 45 pages。 It is important to save the preface for last。Together， you will have read 335 pages and have spared yourself 158 pages of agony。If you want to skip even more， skip all of Religion and all of Spirit except the first and last few paragraphs。 Then you are down to around 235 pages。 As said， Hegel is like cigarettes。 All the cool kids are doing it。 。。。more

Kevin Fulton ，

What a brutal read。An incredibly hard book to understand， mostly because of the writing's low quality。 What a brutal read。An incredibly hard book to understand， mostly because of the writing's low quality。 。。。more

Roxy The Bolshevik Girl ，

Wrong in the right way。 Brilliant。

Meettheabsolute ，

I am sorry for the people that have to read this masterpiece which ended philosophy by solving the mind-matter problem wholly and thereby giving a detailed account of the evolution of consciousness in a foreign language。 Hegel is only understandable if read in German。 His neologisms， for example， carry much more meaning than a translation can transmit。 In order to understand him， and truly understand him， one has to immerse oneself into the book， learn that each word is carefully chosen and is c I am sorry for the people that have to read this masterpiece which ended philosophy by solving the mind-matter problem wholly and thereby giving a detailed account of the evolution of consciousness in a foreign language。 Hegel is only understandable if read in German。 His neologisms， for example， carry much more meaning than a translation can transmit。 In order to understand him， and truly understand him， one has to immerse oneself into the book， learn that each word is carefully chosen and is crucial both by itself and in the context it's presented。 Maybe some day people will move on from the pathetic efforts "analytical philosophers" have employed to try to free themselves from Hegel's all-encompassing system and realize that he didn't merely throw shit at the wall trying to see what sticks， which is rather what the Anglo-Saxon and French philosophers have done since the dawn of the 20th century， but that he's lonely at the top in his ingenuity and coherence。 The book is MEANT to be hard to read; you can't explain the totality of being with simple words。"Truly to escape Hegel involves an exact appreciation of the price we have to pay to detach ourselves from him。 It assumes that we are aware of the extent to which Hegel， insidiously perhaps， is close to us; it implies a knowledge， in that which permits us to think against Hegel， of that which remains Hegelian。 We have to determine the extent to which our anti-Hegelianism is possibly one of his tricks directed against us， at the end of which he stands， motionless， waiting for us。" - Foucault 。。。more

Stephen Pritchard ，

When I’ve heard people say， if you read Hegel you’ll regret it- now I fully understand。 Never a denser book have I read。 I estimate that I understand 25% at best。 Sometimes his sentences are just a wall of words。

Durakov ，

I despised reading most of this， and yet I'm happy I did。 One must begin with the obvious: Hegel is such a bad writer， it almost feels like a joke sometimes。 Yes， the decision to capitalize special concepts （every noun is capitalized in German， so the decision to capitalize some rather than capitalizing them all or none requires justification） doesn't help， but you can't get around the fact that reading Hegel so often feels like talking to the guy who took speed all night at 4 am at the party yo I despised reading most of this， and yet I'm happy I did。 One must begin with the obvious: Hegel is such a bad writer， it almost feels like a joke sometimes。 Yes， the decision to capitalize special concepts （every noun is capitalized in German， so the decision to capitalize some rather than capitalizing them all or none requires justification） doesn't help， but you can't get around the fact that reading Hegel so often feels like talking to the guy who took speed all night at 4 am at the party you've been drinking at。 It sounds extraordinarily complicated and yet ridiculous and you just want to say "shut the fuck up！" and sleep。 And then it doesn't sound like that at all。 Despite how absolutely punishing the text was， one must also admit that Hegel follows a path of thought that is so compelling and overwhelming it baffles the mind to imagine how he could even begin to conceive of such a project。 There was at least one shining insight in every section that bursts through in its illumination past the stilted prose。 Among these are the discovery of sense-certainty's abstract metaphysics （mercifully early）， the fight to the death in the lord-servant dialectic， the underrated critique of phrenology's confusion around the "inside" and "outside" of the body （that is 100% still valid for contemporary scientific reductions in neurology and psychiatry）， most of the movement of spirit， and the tortured beautiful soul's dissipation into vapor。 The guy even knows how to write a gorgeous turn of phrase！ He just hides them atop mountains of needles and forces you to stab yourself thousands of times in the climb to find them。 There's no other book of philosophy that follows a path of determinations so closely。 You will understand what the dialectic method and speculative philosophy is after reading， but it absolutely forbids skipping even a single paragraph， and harshly punishes skimming。 This took me longer than any book in memory to read。 The path of argumentation is foolproof （as it's presented）， logical， and seductive。 It follows the path of necessity without implying it's the only possible path。 I am so so happy to be done， for so many reasons。 。。。more

Mr。 Manning ，

Easily the most difficult book I have ever read， makes Kant look like a picture book， secondary literature is a must。 Pinkard's Sociality of Reason was excellent and seemingly one of the dominant readings today。 Easily the most difficult book I have ever read， makes Kant look like a picture book， secondary literature is a must。 Pinkard's Sociality of Reason was excellent and seemingly one of the dominant readings today。 。。。more

Colin Cox ，

Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit is easily the most challenging book I have ever read。 Hegel poses a challenge both philosophically and syntactically。 That is to say， Hegel's larger idea is hard enough to understand， and the way he presents and develops this idea is equally challenging。 However， Hegel's larger point about contradiction is one that resonates in modernity。 For example， one of the final things Hegel writes effectively summarizes how self-divided we are。 Hegel writes， "The self-knowi Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit is easily the most challenging book I have ever read。 Hegel poses a challenge both philosophically and syntactically。 That is to say， Hegel's larger idea is hard enough to understand， and the way he presents and develops this idea is equally challenging。 However， Hegel's larger point about contradiction is one that resonates in modernity。 For example， one of the final things Hegel writes effectively summarizes how self-divided we are。 Hegel writes， "The self-knowing Spirit knows not only itself but also the negative of itself， or its limit: to know one's limit is to know how to sacrifice oneself" （492）。 Limitation and self-division define everything in existence。 Even the Christian god is， quite radically， a figure determined by a limit， by a clear division or contradiction （i。e。， god embodied and made fallible or human in the figure Jesus）。 Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit is a book that begs to be read more than once。 The Phenomenology is a commitment and a challenging commitment at that。 Still， if you have the time and resources to understand it， Hegel's Phenomenology can potentially change how a reader engages with a host of larger philosophical questions。 。。。more

mdma ，

terminar esse livro eh uma vitória pessoal。 foi uma leitura muito intensa com altos e baixos。 tive muitos devaneios， me senti extremamente burra muitas vezes e ao mesmo tempo me senti encantada com o que lia a cada página。 apesar de sem duvida ele poder ser menor foi uma leitura incrível。 agregou em cada ponto e canto da minha vida e existência。 desafiador e bizarro。

Dimitri Crooijmans ，

This book。 I will tell you the story about my first self-encounter with it。 walk in the footsteps of the absolute madman-- the goddamn legend known as G。W。F Hegel。 Forty years ago， Hegel slit the wrists of twelve Terminators with a bayonet in the middle of the city。 He could decide to take a piss。 Or throw M-80’s at you。 Just as easily he could mow your lawn or hit you with a stick。 And during one of his psychotic episodes， he convinced his wife to let him come visit her。 Though she was furious， This book。 I will tell you the story about my first self-encounter with it。 walk in the footsteps of the absolute madman-- the goddamn legend known as G。W。F Hegel。 Forty years ago， Hegel slit the wrists of twelve Terminators with a bayonet in the middle of the city。 He could decide to take a piss。 Or throw M-80’s at you。 Just as easily he could mow your lawn or hit you with a stick。 And during one of his psychotic episodes， he convinced his wife to let him come visit her。 Though she was furious， he managed to slip into their home through a window。 His robe was lined with soot， and his boots were caked in mud， but he brought his wife to climax with a single orgasm that single-handedly brought about the ascension of the entire human race。 I was only nineteen when I met him。 And the rest is history。 。。。more

Czarny Pies ，

This opus is about the movement between the phenomenon or apparition of a thing and its essence。 Alternatively Hegel proposes that there must be a relation or identity between the thought and the thing。 Contemporary philosophy is still trying to resolve the issues that these two notions have raised。 In the concluding chapter Hegel announces that it is a mistake to think that God is dead。 God is rather the absolute ideal; that is to say that God is the ideal case of the triangular construct of p This opus is about the movement between the phenomenon or apparition of a thing and its essence。 Alternatively Hegel proposes that there must be a relation or identity between the thought and the thing。 Contemporary philosophy is still trying to resolve the issues that these two notions have raised。 In the concluding chapter Hegel announces that it is a mistake to think that God is dead。 God is rather the absolute ideal; that is to say that God is the ideal case of the triangular construct of phenomenon， essence and movement between the two。 With friends like Hegel who needs enemies like Nietzsche。 。。。more

Luke ，

Arguably one of the greatest philosophical works ever。 I believe it is。 There’s a reason that his ideas are so influential in so many different subjects and with so many different philosophers。 Many of what great German philosophers like Schopenhauer， Nietzsche， and Heidegger go on to achieve stems directly from Hegel。 More importantly I personally think he is where postmodernism begins， although this is rarely agreed with。 To begin postmodernism with Nietzsche is to misunderstand the influence Arguably one of the greatest philosophical works ever。 I believe it is。 There’s a reason that his ideas are so influential in so many different subjects and with so many different philosophers。 Many of what great German philosophers like Schopenhauer， Nietzsche， and Heidegger go on to achieve stems directly from Hegel。 More importantly I personally think he is where postmodernism begins， although this is rarely agreed with。 To begin postmodernism with Nietzsche is to misunderstand the influence that Hegel had on him。 The more foundational conflicts with modernity resonate from Hegel’s idea of the self-conscious spirit more completely than anything Nietzsche worked on more peripherally。 Even the idea of “God is dead” came from Hegel in this frequently misunderstood and sacred text。 Nietzsche was simply better understood and better propped up by history。 A history probably more well defined by Hegel。Like Hegel， Schopenhauer also cross pollinated psychology and evolution。 And in a more coherently palatable style， albeit still flow of conscious。 If only Hegel and Schopenhauer could have learned from each other living in the same era， studying and teaching in the same location！ We are left with Schopenhauers brilliant retaliation in the World as Will and Representation。 A masterpiece but still unable to utilize Hegel’s idea of self-conscious becoming in the subjective sense。 If somehow Hegel’s idea of the subject and Schopenhauer’s application of the object could have been combined it would be an absolute western masterpiece to rival the east。 German philosophy could have more throughly lead all of western philosophy alongside the 1900s-present day French philosophy。 Schopenhauer wasn’t a fan of Hegel， at least publicly。 He didn’t seem to like anyone， so there’s that too。 In my opinion Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit is the closest the west comes to fully understanding the east， and probably explains it with more self-awareness than ever before or since。 Schopenhauer’s WWR is a close second for me。 If Hegel （maybe Schopenhauer） and Nietzsche are where postmodernism begins， I believe Baudrillard is the most cohesive disciple of the three。 Tiqqun a worthy mention。 But the French evolution of what Germany started is really the greatest philosophy the west has to offer。 。。。more

✨ian ，

i think this book is destined to become a classic for good reason， it is structured in a nice way。 it is very uplifting。 i like the part where he talks about the phenomenology of spirit。 you want to know my theory？ this book is like those old medicines you used to be able to buy like “jerry’s cola” or “marty’s quick fix cure”。 hegel’s phenomenology of spirit。 ok yeah！！ yeah！ i think i’ll read it again soon。 also he does a pretty thorough job debunking phrenology which i appreciate very much and i think this book is destined to become a classic for good reason， it is structured in a nice way。 it is very uplifting。 i like the part where he talks about the phenomenology of spirit。 you want to know my theory？ this book is like those old medicines you used to be able to buy like “jerry’s cola” or “marty’s quick fix cure”。 hegel’s phenomenology of spirit。 ok yeah！！ yeah！ i think i’ll read it again soon。 also he does a pretty thorough job debunking phrenology which i appreciate very much and honestly， good for him for doing that in the 1800s or whatever。 somewhere in the early half of this book is one of the best descriptions of lightning i’ve ever read and there’s some truly wonderful writing in here about light， sense perception， consciousness， and more！ this book is like a big ray of sunshine！ it’s nice 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Phenomenology of Spirit

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Phenomenology of Spirit&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Phenomenology of Spirit&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0