Hegel Final Notes

For Kant: Whats happening in the mind is what matters. It can be subsumed under
British Empiricists who believed in Sensory Data as opposed to Continental Rationalists
who believed in Reason.
START HERE:

Whats Happening in Germany: The German Idealists: What matters the most is
what happens in the mind. German Idealism: Fichter, Schiller, Schelling and Hegel
would absorbed under this category.
Hegel: Born in 1770,right on cusp of French Revolution. Napolean (1769)
Hegel took up philosophy in the Kantian Mould

Taught at Uni of Jena in Prussia

Hegel: 36 Years Old. Napoleans army coming to Jena, concerned about being taken over. This
German philosopher welcomed Napoleans armies in his writings. He looked upon Napolean as a
grand figure whod shake up the world order. Progressive order, break over structures of
feudalism.
Hegel: Is ethnocentric+Eurocentric (people can accuse him of being racist). Believed certain
civilisations were on the lower scale of development.
IDEA:
Hegel and History (Grand all encompassing idea of history)
Platos ideas: Ideas exist in space and time, eternal and unchangeable. Hegelian idea is abstract.
The idea is for Hegel, developmental.
Platos ideas don leave that realm. For Hegel, the idea has to be embodied. It has to take
some material form.

The idea for Hegel is embodied in world of nature.

In order to be able to understand an entity, you can reflect on your stance but youre still not sure
what you think. You want to create something thats within you. Objectification of the inner
self. Create an entity outside of yourself: Hamlets solilique

The objectification and externalisation of the ideas. The entire sphere of knowledge, sees
itself in regards to it.

Ideas see nature as an externalisation of itself and the moment it sees this participation: a spirit
is born: GEIST

Nature of objectification of idea: The embodiment The spirit is born, we have consciousness
The ultimate aim of the idea is to know itself in all its grandeur. Its on a voyage, journey of itself.
It operates dialectically. The dialectic method is how the idea moves forward in this voyage
towards self discovery.

Movers though the Hegelian triad.

1) Thesis 2)Anti-Thesis 3)Synthesis

E.g Heraclytus: Reality is constantly in flux. Out of this idea, it gives birth to its antithesis. The Parmenidian antithesis: Everything is fine, its frozen, to the Heraclytean
thesis. These two ideas wrestle with one another. Youre moving up, elevated and
you have a synthesis of Plato: Ideas have progressed.

Movement forward through minds, growth. Its development is Organic, has potential to grow and

evolve.Ultimate journey of self consciousness.

The idea enlists the support of the grand figures from history: Napoleon, Julius Caesar. Caesar
puts an end to 5 centuries or more of republican rule in Rome because of the situation on the
ground. The individual is animated by selfish motives. Overthrow existing (old order) driven by
desire to bring change, aims may be selfish.

Hegel says ideas make use of world historic figures to bring about change. These people are not
conscious of it (like Caeser, Alexander etc). They unwillingly become part of it. Hegel: These
happens then through cunning or reason.

Youre not conscious of advancing the idea

The figures who arent attuned to the realities of the ground, they obstruct advancement of ideas.

Bloodshed, violence, civil war. Struggle between thesis and anti-thesis towards a synthesis.
Final Destination: In gradual stages, the idea realising what is it. This idea isnt a benevolent one.

The idea is right only at this juncture, at this point. It too will be pushed aside.
Idea is an impersonal entity. Uses world historical figures entities and discards them. It is
interested in its own voyage.

IMP: The Owl of Minerva takes flight only at night

-On after some things have ended that we it for what it is. The idea is seen only once it takes flight.
The idea chose to pick this national figurerealisation comes after the fact.

Historicism: You dont think of or view historical events through transcendental standpoints.
What you do is think locally. It is embedded.
-If the idea finds that a particular group of people are stuck at a juncture, stuck at a point of
evolution, it leaves them behind and moves forward. Stays for as long as the limits of potentiality
have been achieved. Arriving at self-consciousness.
***
Romanticism:
Romanticism is not about arriving, its about journeying, moving, moving upwards. yearning for
something. The Geist is moving to attain fullest possible state, self consciousness.
The stages in attaining self consciousness, the growth if it:
1. First Stage: Absolute Mastery, attempt to absorb
2. Second Stage: Confront the Other

3. Third Stage: Option of killing of other doesnt satisfy you. So instead you enslave it. The
master-Slave relationship. Master-Slave dialectic, imp for Hegel.
For the master, the mirror is the slave. If he has to see himself, he sees himself in reaction to the
slave. Someone bonded and frozen. Sir is a mirror, someone who is free.
Labour: Master becomes dependent on slave, so the slave while he labour, hes able to see himself
outside of the relationship by the product of his labour, its emancipatory. The master doesnt
experience this. One one stage in attainment of self consciousness.
HEGEL PHILOSOPHY OF ART
Talks about the journey of the idea.
The idea as content, in search of form. Its a repudiation of Plato, taking concrete form. Art seeks
this sensuous form. Use notion of Christian incarnation.

The idea seeks to embody itself in some concrete form, thats why we have art. The kind of
relationship idea wants with form is a sensuous incarnation. Like body and soul.

The idea is so powerful that it seeks to create the form in which it is embodied.

In the course of its journey, the idea goes through 3 stages

1) Symbolic Stage: Idea doesnt find a form that is able to capture its essence. The incarnation
of the idea in the form doesnt take place. Symbolism. That which is transcendent cant be
incarnated in sensuous form only in symbolic form, can only capture the idea symbolically. God
The Father
2) The idea isnt content with the unsatisfactory representation. It journeys forwards to find a form
that can capture the idea with a conjunction to its full potentiality. Content is paramount.
Classical Stage: The idea finds a perfectly harmonious form to occupy: Christianity, unity,
Incarnation of Christ. Perfect match between content and form.
The sculpture is a perfect embodiment of form and content.
3)But even when he perfect embodiment has been found, the idea years for higher purpose. Idea
wants to kick aside the form it occupies, wants to journey on a quest of infinisim. Romanticism,
mystical element, Death of Christ had to happen, to allow emancipation of idea.