Half Hour Hegel: The Complete Phenomenology of Spirit (Introduction, sec 73-74)

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In this thirty-second video in the new series on G.W.F. Hegel's great early work, the Phenomenology of Spirit, I read and comment on the seventy-third and seventy-fourth paragraphs of the text, beginning the Introduction.
Hegel begins his introduction by examining the standpoint of modern through, which frames its relation to reality in large part through Epistemology, and through epistemological concerns. He points out that skeptical worries about whether cognition can actually relate us to the Absolute depend upon mistaken assumptions, many of which stem from presuming that cognition functions like an instrument, or that it is a passive medium.
Both of these views about cognition or knowledge lead us into impasses -- a sign that we need to adopt, or work out, a different, more adequate perspective, rather than allowing fear of error to lead us into a mistrust of philosophical activity.
In this video series, I will be working through the entire Phenomenology, paragraph by paragraph -- for each one, first reading the paragraph, and then commenting on what Hegel is doing, referencing, discussing, etc. in that paragraph.
This series is designed to provide an innovative digital resource that will assist students, lifelong learners, professionals, and even other philosophers in studying this classic work by Hegel for generations to come. If you'd like to support this project -- and also receive some rewards for your support -- please contribute! - / drgbsadler
I'll be using and referencing the A.V. Miller English-language translation of the Phenomenology, which is available here: amzn.to/1jDUI6w
The introductory music for the video is: Johann Sebastian Bach, Partita in D minor for solo violin, is available in the public domain, and can be found at musopen.org.
#Hegel #Phenomenology #Philosophy #Idealism #German #Dialectic #Spirit #Absolute #Knowledge #History

[@vauchomarx6733]

Learning Hegel from a fellow Priest fan, awesome! \m/

[@GregoryBSadler]

Indeed

[@Heideggerr1]

Nice...I'm a philosophy teacher...Your series is great. I also like the fact that you like Judas Priest! Awesome..I throw my common experience in to my lessons too. I must say that it is refreshing to see you tube being used for the exploration of ideas. As far as I'm concerned programs like yours put you tube in the best possible light. Thanks!

[@GregoryBSadler]

Hahaha! I often forget what I use as examples. But yes, examples are really key for teaching, especially philosophy. . .

[@GregoryBSadler]

Having finished (after 31 video installations!) with the Preface to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, we now start examining, explaining, and commenting upon the Introduction. I think that by New Years, we might well be ready to start looking at the section on Sense Certainty!

[@MrMarktrumble]

thank you.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Mark Trumble You're welcome

[@tomisaacson2762]

Paragraph 74 and the accompanying commentary is excellent. This is a part I was having trouble with but you made it click. There are parts of Phenomenology that make me have to stop and think "Damn that's good" and Hegel's point about fear of truth is one example. I've just started but I'm liking the intro a lot more than the preface.

[@domwren]

Heavy metal in a Hegel lecture, love it!

[@BTinHD]

Hello and passing through on 27th October 2017. Thanks again for this series.

[@prplpenguin7078]

Thank you so much for these!

[@GregoryBSadler]

You're welcome!

[@ngogol1748]

Thank you for this great elaboration of this section! To me, you have made clear many important points, especially regarding to the Hegelian treatment of (absolute?) scepticism. His argument sounds like a forerunner of Charles S. Peirces argument against absolute doubt. And at the same time, the "fear of truth" argument sounds to me both like an echo of Augustinian treatment of ancient skepticism and a first taste of the lacanian twist to psychoanalysis. I think the connection in so many different directions are quite clear after your presentation. However, devil's in the detail, so I would like to go into more depth to see the nuances that might make a difference between Hegels treatment and the treatment of similar question by Augustinus, Peirce and Lacan.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Sounds like you have a research project for yourself

[@loranfromdamoon6289]

this is great

[@MahmoudElAkoum]

oh man this is brilliant!

[@GregoryBSadler]

Thanks

[@QuintessentialQs]

Does anyone feel like there may be an insightful connection between Hegel's comments about the instrument of cognition inherently changing that which it attempts to grasp and the later findings of the quantum mechanics?

[@QuintessentialQs]

Like, even the wave-particle bit, about the real truth of an electron existing as a contradiction in motion is... weirdly dialectical, isn't it?

[@megazekemeister]

Yeah, I also found a striking similarity and it seems quite prescient on the side of Hegel

[@tomisaacson2762]

Zizek talks about 'ontological incompleteness' and relates Hegel to quantum mechanics in interesting ways. He has a joke about just how video game developers will not code in fine-grained details to areas that are inaccessible to the player, God fucked up and didn't think we'd actually see all the weird quantum shit (eg quantum uncertainty, entanglement etc.) so he just left the universe fundamentally incomplete and didn't code that stuff in. I feel like the insight here isn't spookily prescient or supernatural. And it could just be a coincidence this apparent connection between ontological incompleteness and quantum uncertainty with no hidden variables (it's not just that we don't know the electrons spin, it is not determined in itself). This is kinda tangentially related to cognition changing that which it attempts to grasp, which is far from a new idea. Modern physicists will be the first to emphasize that observation changing the outcome has nothing to do with some special properties of conscious human beings observing and there are ways of understanding 'observation' with no appeal to consciousness.

[@maxm2639]

The effect of observation on the object being observed has been a controversial part of quantum theorizing for quite a while, but I see almost endless possibilities for an observer's condition, perceptual abilities, choice of perception enhancing instruments, the transmission medium, unknown biases/distortions, etc., etc. What I don't get is why any human being would believe they can have "absolute" or perfect knowledge of anything at all. Which we don't need in any case, because the entire realm of human experience, good and bad, is available to us with our flawed perceptual abilities. Well, except for the experience of developing perfect knowledge of "absolute" reality, which has obviously been a goal of certain academics & other speculation enthusiasts. Not our KZbin presenter, mind you.

[@ngogol1748]

@@maxm2639 But isnt there a difference between the aspects of observing, measuring etc. on the outcome that you mentioned and the way how measurement makes a certain value definite only in the process of measurement itself? I think the difference goes something like this: In many cases we have definite values and a process of scientifc analysis that lead to bias in interpretation, measurement etc., but nevertheless we can assume that there is a ontologically fixed value before we kind of filtered the information and thereby may have distorted reality. On the other side in some measurments of quantum dynamics the measurement does not distort or bias the results in any sense. It is almost the opposite: the measurment becomes here, and only here, as far as we know, a necessary condition of an aspect of reality itself. I think this difference is immense and even more strange than often assumed.

[@talhaolgun5618]

I couldn't get the gist of the 'lime-twig' metaphor. Could you elaborate on it? That was a very insightful reading, by the way. Thank you.

[@GregoryBSadler]

You catch a bird with adhesive lime on a stick.

[@talhaolgun5618]

Gregory B. Sadler Okay. But what's Hegel's point in using that metaphor? What is he trying to say?

[@Chin-Hwa]

Talha Olgun The lime twig metaphor is referring to pure rationalism, which is one of three modes of epistemology according to Kant. The other two modes are called critical philosphy and pure empiricism by Kant. Hegel is rejecting these 3 forms of "cognition."

[@bodywithoutorgans3942]

Keep up the good work with these videos. Also, good move on changing up the intro music. You can only hear the same few bars of music so many times before it starts to wear thin.

[@GregoryBSadler]

Yes -- imagine what it's like on my end with all the editing!

[@bodywithoutorgans3942]

Gregory B. Sadler I feel as though I should mention I grew up in the Midwest (Iowa and Illinois) and listen to a lot of metal too. I also live in New York now. A little too similar maybe, but a decade or so younger and with way less education (a BA in literature).

[@GregoryBSadler]

Body Without Organs Well, that's quite a few intersections

[@wangjessie2117]

Hi Sadler, is the "cognition" in this video the same thing as "knowledge"?

[@jangrzybowski8831]

No, cognition is process leading to knowledge

[@lyndonbailey3965]

Hmm oddly this kind of mirrors the master/slave divide..the scientist 'gets on with it' and cognizes something whereas the skeptic is frozen by this absolute fear of error. I suppose you could also see it as speaking to those who criticise say evolutionary psychology or the cognitive turn or futurists or anyone whose breathless enthusiasm for the tools of their trade appears to overwhelm their skepticism about their findings.

[@lyndonbailey3965]

Are there examples from the history of philosophy or science of 'removing the instrument' or 'removing the medium' to try to get at the thing?Just curious ! My name actually means Lime tree hill in old English

[@GregoryBSadler]

Where they actually do succeed in removing the instrument or medium? I don't think so. Attempts? Sure. I'd say that was one of the main motivations in early modern philosophy

[@l.3458]

WOW.

[@jamesmorgan9258]

lol I like how this video has almost twice as many views as the previous one in the series. I guess a lot of people couldn't handle the preface.

[@prplpenguin7078]

James Morgan Well, at the end of the forward in the Miller translation (probably the most popular English translation of the phenomenology), J.N. Findlay advises that the reader should only read the preface after finishing the rest of the book. If most people watch this series along with what they read, it makes sense for people to skip to the introduction :P

[@megazekemeister]

Yeah, less than half-way through the Preface I realized it would probably be better to skip it and perhaps come back once I have more knowledge of Hegel's system

[@tomisaacson2762]

@@megazekemeister Honestly that was a good choice. I got through the whole preface, which was quite a slog, and only then realized that it would've been best saved for last.

[@rsimeroth]

I'm thoroughly enjoying these lectures and, BTW, I love Judas Priest!

[@GregoryBSadler]

They are indeed a great band

[@john-sw9bu]

Mr. Sadler, I know it's been three years, but who is writing what on a chalkboard during your lecturing?

[@GregoryBSadler]

Generally this guy. . . .

[@john-sw9bu]

I'm humbled to get a response! Let me rephrase my question. During these Hegel videos, I can hear someone else writing on a chalkboard while you're speaking. In other words, during your speech, when you aren't writing on the chalkboard, there exists the sound of someone writing on a chalkboard - which seems to be occurring within close proximity of the camera and yourself, almost behind the camera exactly. . . . .my question is who is chalking while you're talking, and what are they chalking?

[@john-sw9bu]

In addition, the cadence of the chalk writing seems to be referring to your talking points. My apologies in advance if I seem unclear to you.

[@GregoryBSadler]

There's nobody else writing on a chalkboard. I recorded these in our apartment, and the chalkboard I write on is the only one in the place. I have no idea what you're hearing

[@mburkhart41]

Dr. Sadler has me wanting my own chalkboard! 😂 Love these hints "where we're going with this.."

[@anarchyutopia]

Greg Sadler is the intellectual Penn Jillette

[@GregoryBSadler]

Really? How so?

[@anarchyutopia]

@@GregoryBSadler Ha, I just meant as your celebrity doppelgänger. While I have you here though, I’ll add that I’ve been studying philosophy formally and informally for many years, and I’ve never seen such a systematic and edifying explication of Hegel as this KZbin series. I come from a “continental” and “philosophy of education” background where Hegel is indispensable for both, and words can’t express how valuable of a service you provide with this series. Thank you!

[@GregoryBSadler]

You're very welcome!

[@tomisaacson2762]

Lol I thought the same thing. Very different voice and mannerisms though

[@lyndonbailey3965]

If nothing else, I hope your entrepreneurial activities lead to better Heavy Metal seats

[@GregoryBSadler]

That would be cool indeed