The Phenomenology of Spirit by Hegel - Research Paper Example

 The Phenomenology of Spirit by Hegel The preface to one of the most significant philosophical works, ‘The Phenomenology of Spirit’ by Hegel describes his philosophical approach and methods. The paper will take up a discussion and analysis of two of the stanzas numbered 11 to 13. The stanzas deal with the spirit or the consciousness of the mind and its relation with the surrounding objects. The 11th stanza begins with Hegel’s viewpoint regarding the current time period, which is a ‘birth-time’, or a period of rejuvenation or reincarnation. Hegel looks at this time as one which leads on to a new period. Hence this is a transition. The spirit has undergone several phases and had to change along with the ways of the world. The author here implies that the various changes undergone by the world has affected the spirit of mankind. It is the nature of the spirit to keep itself updated with time and move forward – “Spirit is never at rest but always engaged in moving forward” (Hegel, 6). Therefore it needs to dissolve its past and work on its transformation. The spirit knows how and where it needs to change. For instance, we know that a man learns form his mistakes made in the past. This process of learning comes from past lessons and working of the mind to influence the actions of the person concerned. It is the spirit, which needs to change in order to make a permanent impact on an individual’s lifestyle and activities. Developments around the world are multifold. There are changes of power, technology climate and even the cultural and social environment. If an individual does not change himself according to the demands of time, it will not be possible to sustain in that setting for long. The core factor here is the spirit or the soul of the person. It is the adaptability of the soul that matters. For instance, with technological development a person needs to learn new skills and reject old methods of work. However often the technical demands might be at conflict with the soul or the spirit of the person. It is the spirit, which gives us the zeal to work. If this spirit lacks somewhere then the need to change will not be met successfully. Therefore the adaptability of the spirit and its control over the mind and soul is important to realize an individual’s ability to suit the needs of the time. It might be expected therefore that the spirit, in its true form, records a past mistake and with time does away with it and rectifies the actions of the man. The author compares the growth of the spirit to that of the child after he takes his first breath outside his mother’s womb. Within the mother’s womb the baby grows in size and form but after it is born it responsible tog row in terms of quality and not merely quantity. Unlike animals, human beings take a longer time to develop and likewise, the spirit also utilizes this time to mature and become more adaptable – “the Spirit in its formation matures slowly and quietly into new shape, dissolving bit by bit the structure of its previous world”. (Hegel, 6) It is the characteristic of the spirit to reject the old ways and reshape itself into new forms such that the individual might reflect his growth in terms of quality. The past experiences however leave its effect on the spirit in terms of small symptoms, which are not interconnected. The intangible maturity of an individual right from his birth depends upon this maturity of the spirit. Every individual incurs his lessons from past experiences and embeds them within himself in such a way that certain marks and signs remain on the appearance and behavior of the person. For instance a girl with a stressful childhood might develop some lines of stress around her face and her habits might be more restrained compared to her peers. This is because the past has left some isolated marks on her nature as well as body. However the progressive spirit has taught her how to adapt to those stresses and she is now more controlled and able to handle harder challenge. The established norms are disturbed by ‘frivolity and boredom’ (Hegel, 6). These contradictory terms identify the ups and downs of life and these do not allow any particular set of norms to remain unchanged and unmodified. When this settled order is perturbed, it is time for allowing something, which is unknown and this announces the oncoming of a new era constituting the change. After moving slowly through the changes, suddenly there is a flash of light, which reveals the entire face of the new world. The author presents it as “a sunburst, which, in one flash, illuminates the features of the new world” (Hegel, 7). This perhaps might be compared to the hatching of an egg where the shell suddenly burst and the reveals the growth of the chick in one single moment. This is same with the blooming of the flower, where the petals unfold to reveal the center in a few seconds. Similarly the spirit changes and passes through different phases until that final hour comes to reveal final changed form. The 12th stanza describes the new world or the new concept and thoughts as one, which is “no more a complete actuality than a new born child”(Hegel,7). When the new world is just made, it is like a notion or simply an idea yet to be developed further and spread its wings across the universe. It is just alike the foundation of the building which is yet to be built. The notion is actually the knowledge of science, which is not complete in the beginning. The new spirit has undergone several phases of transformation and torment before reaching the new form – “traversed its content in time and space” (Hegel, 7). This new world is also the product of several upheavals and complicated paths. This simple notion will now develop its limbs and gradually acquire a new meaning and different shapes. This baby or the newborn idea will then develop and enrich itself into a new and unique meaning of its own. The 13th stanza talks of the new world, which is born. This new world dwells under the mask of simplicity. What we see is the consciousness, which retains the past experiences in its memory. The birth of this new form is compared to a newborn baby and hence its extent and spread is also not like the old form. Just like the limbs of a baby are not clearly spread out or distinct, similarly the consciousness is its newly born form lacks in distinctions and clear definitions. Also its extent of control over the body is also limited at this point. Science is mysteriously possessed by a few individuals and lacks universal meaning unless everything about its components is well defined – “without such articulation, Science lacks universal intelligibility and gives appearance of being esoteric possession of a few individuals” (Hegel, 7). Owing to this factor only a few individuals possess scientific knowledge and this exist as a notion, controlled by ‘inwardness’. Only that knowledge which is well identified and completed explained or determined in nature is ‘comprehensible’ and ‘esoteric’. Such knowledge is universally present. Otherwise if the scientific knowledge is concentrated in a few hands, then it will not be able to spread its wings over the world. Thus the author proposes that scientific knowledge and technology should be accessible to all. When one tries to grasp the scientific knowledge with the help of his consciousness, it is expected that he will be able to do so with the help of his common rationality. A common individual with common thoughts should be able to grasp scientific knowledge. Something, which is already familiar or known to us, is easily comprehensible in nature. Certain elements of knowledge are therefore equally comprehensible by “science and unscientific consciousness alike” (Hegel, 8). The unscientific consciousness of an individual opens the door to the knowledge of science. Thus, the author hints at the nature of changing spirit or the consciousness of human mind, which is adaptable in nature and requires grasping the new changes of technology and science being developed around it. When a new technology is developed, a few individuals patent the knowledge. The consciousness here is seen as a universal aspect instead of individual one. Thus the consciousness can develop completely only when the science or the technological development is accessible by all individuals with their common rationality. A technology can show its ultimate impact only when it is familiarized worldwide. Therefore the above stanzas both talk about the new creation of the consciousness or the spirit to the stimuli around it. The 11th stanza speaks of the process of alteration and the final birth. The 12th stanza talks of the process of development of the new born idea into an enriched and mature one while the 13 stanza talks of the need of the consciousness to change and adapt to the change in technology and modifications of scientific knowledge. The mind needs to change constantly and adapt to the surrounding changes in order to benefit the world as a whole. Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, The Phenomenology of Spirit, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1998 Read More