Phenomenology of Spirit

One traditional interpretation of Hegel’s work distills the dialectical method into a “thesis-antithesis-synthesis” model, although it is important to note that this idea first originated with Johann Gottlieb Fichte. Antithesis is the second stage of the dialectical method, focusing on negation and preservation.

Hegel uses the term aufheben to refer to sublation, the second component of the dialectical method. Concepts pass over one another, revealing their negations and preserving their similarities. Another term for this is “antithesis,” although the triadic form of thesis-antithesis-synthesis is widely debated among Hegel scholars.

The traditional definition of “cognition” is the process of thinking and understanding. Hegel defines cognition as an instrument that moves through the dialectical method, leading to more sophisticated understanding.

First developed by Fichte and explored in further detail in Phenomenology of Spirit, Hegel provides a comprehensive description of the “dialectical method” in Encyclopaedia of Philosophical Sciences (1817). The dialectical method is a triadic process which examines logical concepts which oppose one another and leads to more sophisticated understanding.

“Epistemology” is a branch of philosophy that focuses on knowledge and its origin. Hegel moves away from traditional discussions in epistemology that center on the origin of knowledge, instead examining consciousness as a form of absolute knowing.

The “Lord-Bondsman dialectic” is a central concept in Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit. In this dialectical, two self-conscious individuals confront one another and seek acknowledgement of their individual autonomies. Since both try to assert their freedom, the one who is willing to take risks emerges as the “Lord” while the one who submits emerges as the “bondsman.” Hegel argues that society must move beyond the lord-bondsman dialectic to obtain true and absolute freedom and knowledge.

“Notion,” as it is used by Hegel, describes a high form of cognition and understanding. After moving through the triadic process of dialectics, the individual develops a form of comprehension that is called the “notion.” The Notion combines and unifies the individual’s experience with the exterior world. For example, the Notion of absolute freedom emerges when the individual understands and analyzes through the triadic form both freedom of the individual and freedom within a social context.

“Ontology” is the branch of philosophy that explores the nature of being and existence. Ontology questions how existence occurs and is organized. It is a wide area of study that examines identity, categories of being, and the human relationship with time and space.

“Phenomenology” is the philosophical study of the conscious experience. This branch of philosophy explores how humans experience the external world and understand the self within this larger context. Hegel develops a theory of knowledge and cognition that leads to consciousness, arguing that consciousness is derived from sense experience, perception, and understanding.

Posteriori is a Latin term is used to describe knowledge that comes from experience. Humans develop posteriori through sensory experience and perception.

Priori knowledge is a Latin term that is used to describe knowledge that comes from reason or deduction. Some philosophers use this term to refer to the concept of innate knowledge, a form of knowledge that individuals are born with and understand inherently.

Translations of Hegel’s work interchange the term “spirit” with “mind.” In Phenomenology of Spirit, this concept is a complex and multifaceted idea. It combines both the experience of the individual and the collective experiences of society. In Chapter 6, Hegel outlines Spirit in more detail, equating it with the collective ethical consciousness and nature of a community. Spirit can be a higher form of consciousness, in which a person’s moral values are in alignment with society’s values, or it can sow division by highlighting the distinction between Divine Law and a devotion to wealth and power.

“Synthesis” is the final stage of the dialectical method. In this stage, the contradictions which emerged during antithesis are reconciled. In synthesis, the Notion emerges as a higher level of thinking that transcends the contradictions of the original thesis.