Half Hour Hegel: The Complete Phenomenology of Spirit (Sense Certainty, sec. 102-105)

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In this forty-second video in the new series on G.W.F. Hegel's great early work, the Phenomenology of Spirit, I read and comment on paragraphs 102, 103, 104, and 105 of the text, continuing our study of the first portion of the section "Consciousness," i.e "Sense Certainty".
In these sections, Hegel now turns to the previously overlooked role and centrality of the perceiving "I" in sense certainty, focusing on the "I" itself as a universal. He also discusses the difficulties that arise when attempting to express linguistically single items as such.
It turns out that the essence of sense certainty cannot be found in the object or the "I" -- the essence of it lies in the totality of sense certainty, which then brings us into a new immediacy. We seem to be back at the moment and object of immediate sense perception. But we find again that singular -- whether on the side of object or on the side of the perceiver -- the this does not retain its truth or significance as sense certainty.
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 No. 1 in Bm, BWV 1002, is available in the public domain, and can be found at musopen.org.
#Hegel #Phenomenology #Philosophy #Idealism #German #Dialectic #Spirit #Absolute #Knowledge #History

[@noahgreco930]

I think my favorite part about Hegel is how he somehow relates to everything and all of these fun little thoughts get generated in my head such as: "Can the same singular 'I' step into the same singular river that is located at the same singular 'here' at the same singular 'now' twice?"

[@noahgreco930]

On a second watch of this video, it's funny to see that Hegel is really pointing out the absurdity of sitcoms. Homer and Marge and Bart and Lisa are always attempts at being the same and there's little, if any, continuity between episodes, so we as the viewer have to attempt to place ourselves in the same exact moment each time we watch an episode.

[@dfelliott1]

ugh I was having a lot of trouble with 105, and this helped a lot. Made going forward a bit more difficult as well

[@GregoryBSadler]

Glad it was useful for you

[@QuintessentialQs]

"I" can just inherently know what "now" and "here" are as universals because I'm constantly carrying them with me, experiencing a multitude of "thises" and "heres". But, "I" can't really look at the "I" until I encounter another "I", realize that it's an "I", and then I can know that there is a universal "I". So it's intersubjective. The subject can't make an object of itself until it encounters an object which it recognizes to be a subject of its own.

[@GregoryBSadler]

The next installation in Half-Hour Hegel, still working away at the core of "Sense Certainty"

[@MrMarktrumble]

what is responsible for the identity of the unique and individual person? (review Duns Scotus haecceity). "Posit the whole of sense certainty as the essence"... interesting...no kidding..."the truth preserves itself as a relation that remains self-identical....which no distinction can penetrate.." Descartes cogito as "one sided?".......?! " I am a pure act of intuiting" intuiting of what ( I dare not answer...) NO. there is progress. I can't stare at the north star forever...inner change in the "subject"...( "we are the whole sequence of I's"...Continuous or contiguous? What is the principle that is constant under each I? or is there no ego substance? Am I a Lockeian or Buddhist? AM I the story I create? a lifetime of studying philosophy as the story that gave me an identity? Am I the whole? If I cut myself you do not feel pain. Hegel is amazing. I am going to Review Kant.

[@songsmithy07]

This self identical distinction, or this cyclical/spiral/circle, is metaphorically similar to having someone point out specific landmarks on the way to somewhere, and then having to find one's way back using those same landmarks which are subsequently seen as somehow different from the return perspective.

[@GregoryBSadler]

That metaphor works quite well

[@ligottifan1]

For some reason this seems similar to the table example Russell uses in Problems of Philosophy. This is really good stuff.

[@Mevlinous]

It seems that reflective knowing seems to spoil the authenticity of an immediate sense certainty. I would agree, as reflection entails a subject object division. The immediacy is the merging of the knower and the known. But “observing” with the “I” is holding the observed at a distance from it, which entails a tension between the two.

[@GregoryBSadler]

There's nothing "authentic" about immediate sense certainty - that's one of Hegel's main points

[@Mevlinous]

@@GregoryBSadler you are right of course. Maybe I meant whole.

[@lyndonbailey3965]

I'm gonna have to rewatch this a few times and read the text carefully. I got what he was saying when he said that the entirety of sense-certainty is the essence, but now when he goes back to particulars and moments...I'm a bit lost

[@QuintessentialQs]

Lord Dark Helmet: What the hell am I looking at? When does THIS happen in the movie? Col. Sandurz: NOW. You're looking at now, sir. Everything that happens now is happening now. Lord Dark Helmet: Go back to then! Col. Sandurz: What? Lord Dark Helmet: THEN! Col. Sandurz: I can't! Lord Dark Helmet: Why not? Col. Sandurz: We passed it! Lord Dark Helmet: When? Col. Sandurz: Just now! Lord Dark Helmet: When will then be now? Col. Sandurz: SOON!

[@lyndonbailey3965]

If the whole is the essence, then the inessence is also part of the essence, is that not a weird paradox? if it is stating that those are the only things that CAN be essence, then is essence a good term? I may have missed something

[@jamesstuart8109]

Maybe I'm shoehorning it, but sense certainty kind of resonates of being-in-the-world to me.

[@GregoryBSadler]

James Stuart Well, Heideggerian being-in-the-world can correlate to many of the Hegelian Gestalten. There's nothing necessarily immediate to being-in-the-world, but nothing necessarily ruling it out either

[@jamesstuart8109]

That makes sense to me. Maybe that's why I drifted in the direction of my observation. Usually, the short story of phenomenology I hear starts with Husserl, and now I'm wondering if sometimes Hegel doesn't get short shrift.

[@lyndonbailey3965]

08:00 'I googled myself' :D

[@GregoryBSadler]

I have to do that every so often, just to see where and in what contexts I'm coming up

[@songsmithy07]

Sounds like he is describing the Advaita Vedanta. notion of "Atman = Brahman."

[@GregoryBSadler]

I wouldn't draw that inference, no. Remember, we're in the very first section here. Lots more dislectic yet to go

[@lyndonbailey3965]

^LOL