Summary of Phenomenology of Spirit - G.W.F. Hegel

Hegel, George Wilhelm Friedrich

1. Phenomenology of Spirit

• a. The self can only exist when it is acknowledged.
• b. When the self conscious comes across another being:
• i. It sees itself in the other.
• ii. It doesn’t recognize the other as real.
• c. It is compelled to consider itself more important than the other being.  In doing so:
• i. It has to overcome itself that it sees in the other being.
• ii. It equalizes itself as it overcomes the other being, and
• iii. Through this process, it gives life to the other being.
• d. The self-conscious sees the other as independent from itself and not under its control.
• e. The self-conscious of both beings mutually recognize each through the described process.
• f. The self-conscious considers itself the I and the other as an object.
• i. The ‘object’ considers itself the I and the other the object.
• g. Presentation of the self is an abstraction of the self-consciousness.
• h. Each being moves into conflict.
• i. Sees the death of the ‘other.’
• ii. In doing so, the being stakes its life against the other.
• iii. This process proves to self that it is its own being.  It affirms its existence.
• i. Life is the natural setting of consciousness, independence without absolute negativity. 
• i. Death is the natural negation of consciousness, negation without independence.
• ii. Both come to a head in the conflict resulting in the independence in being.
• j. The struggle creates a master/bondsman relationship.
• i. The dominant self-consciousness becomes more than an object in the bondsman eye.
• ii. The master self-consciousness revels in this and feels the power of receiving recognition from the other 
• iii. The recognition is one-sided and unequal.
• iv. The master’s notion of reality comes into question because the bondsman is dependent.  
• 1. The master received original affirmation of being from an independent being and that is now in questions with the bondsman new status.
• 2. The bondsman’s affirmation of being is in effect as it is recognized by an independent being.
• 3. The master feeds off of recognition.
• 4. The master doesn’t like that the recognition is forced.
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2. “Lectures on Fine Art”

• a. First View – That art is a conscious act implies it can be taught or imitated.
• i. Imitation is mechanical.  A reproduction based on rules.
• ii. Rules can supplement the spiritualness of the creative act.  It can’t speak to what was perceived in comprehensive content.
• iii. As art is original, it removes itself from general human production.
• iv. The creator is expected to speak and follow their own uniqueness.
• v. Even if the talent is inspired, it still:
• 1. Requires development by thought.
• 2. Reflection on the mode of its productivity, and
• 3. Practice and skill producing it.
• vi. Skill and inspiration are two different things.  Skill requires reflection and practice.
• b. Third view of art. Placing art as a product of nature.
• i. The notion that human art ranks below nature.
• 1. Art is traditionally seen as dead, no life, just representation of life.
• 2. Fine art is infused with the spirit.
• 3. Art stands higher than natural product which has not made this journey through the spirit.
• 4. Spirit draws from within and places in on the external.
• ii. However, god created nature, man creates art.  How is that reconciled.
• 1. God is honored by what the spirit makes.
• 2. There is something divine in man.
• iii. What’s man’s need to produce art.
• 1. Art comes from higher impulses to satisfy higher needs.
• 2. Art represents things man puts in front of himself.
• 3. He sees himself, and is represented in nature and fuses that with his spirit.
• c. Forms of Art.
• i. Art begins when the idea starts gelling content.  Its abstracted and not fully formed.  Symbolic form of art.
• ii. Second form of art is referred to as classical.  
• 1. It is the free and adequate embodiment of the idea in the shape appropriate to the idea itself in its essential nature.
• 2. It is represented by immediate form without further depth.
• iii. Third form of art, the romantic.
• 1. It is raised from the immediate to a known unity.  It reflects deeper meaning and the inwardness of self-consciousness.