Final Four Videos in "Absolute Freedom and Terror"

With these four videos, covering seven paragraphs, we finish up with a very long part of the even more massive Spirit portion of the Phenomenology of Spirit.  As noted earlier, this section is really a culmination of the long dialectic of rational self-discovery, effectively producing and unfolding modernity in the West, that has its trunk in the Enlightenment (though the roots may be said to go further back).

Enlightenment involves a transformation of human consciousness, in Hegel's view.  It changes the world - and to address Marx's complaint - it definitely does not change it only in the realm of ideas or understanding.  Enlightenment's transformation of human existence does not merely have practical consequences.  It takes place through the medium of the practical, within the realm of politics, culture, institutions, and government.

It also leads, as the very name of this section indicates, both to Absolute Freedom and to a Terror that is inextricably linked to it at this stage of dialectical development of consciousness.  And, as we shall see in the last paragraphs, it opens up a new path before us, one Hegel will call the Moral Consciousness - which we shall soon start exploring.

Here are the four videos finishing this section:

• Lecture 248 - paragraphs 589-590
• Lecture 249 - paragraphs 591
• Lecture 250 - paragraphs 592-593
• Lecture 251 - paragraphs 594-595

Online Workshop - Introduction to the Reading of Hegel

The Victory Farm Center for the Humanities selected Hegel's Phenomenology as their text to study together this summer, and the director reached out to me to ask if I would be willing to provide an online workshop session, an "Introduction to the Reading of Hegel" for them to kick off their collective study.

That's a rather daunting task - I find it's difficult to discuss Hegel well to begin with - and a major (though admittedly idiosyncratic) Hegel commentator, Alexander Kojeve, long ago authored his own Introduction to the Reading of Hegel.  It was also rather short notice - I had about two weeks to get ready, at a rather busy time in work (I don't take summers off, or even reduce my workload, since I'm not your usual academic). But I imagined I ought to be able to muddle through well enough to help some motivated readers better make sense of Hegel's thought in general and the Phenomenology in particular, so I agreed.

For their platform, they used a Google Hangout on Air, streaming over YouTube Live.  The advantage of that, of course, is that it automatically generates a YouTube video, allowing participants and other interested students to easily go back over the presentation and discussion, as often and as many times as they would like.  Here's that video of the session:



It runs about 1 hour 45 minutes in length.  The first part of it is really some chitchat and introductions, so I'd start it around the 13:30 mark, if you want to dive right in to the presentation.

First Four Videos in "Absolute Freedom and Terror"

We start a new subsection now in this second main part of the Spirit portion of the Phenomenology - Absolute Freedom and Terror - which most commentators read as referring to the French Revolution and its descent into the Terror.

This section emerges out of the dialectic of Enlightenment, which has successfully surpassed Faith and Culture.  We are left with a rational self-consciousness that once again - in a sense - becomes the totality of being, grasping the entire world in terms of its own knowing and willing.  Seems very optimistic for a bit.

But there are some serious problems that will shortly arise, as is nearly always the case with any dialectical advancement - you'll see those soon enough reading this section, and in watching these four commentary videos below:

• Lecture 244 - paragraphs 582-583
• Lecture 245 - paragraph 584
• Lecture 246 - paragraph 585
• Lecture 247 - paragraphs 586-588 

Public Hegel Q&A and Discussion Later Today

Every month, thanks to the underwriting of my Patreon supporters on the Half Hour Hegel project, I hold one online Q&A and discussion session, completely open to the general public (we also host another just for Patreon supporters as well).

So if you've been reading Hegel, or following along with the videos, or even just want to know what all this Hegel talk is about, feel free to join us.  We use this FreeConferenceCall link - clicking it takes you right to the ReasonIO "meeting wall", and then it's just another click (and perhaps downloading the app), and you're in!

We're meeting today, Wednesday, May 9, from 5-6 PM Central Time - so make sure to check the time difference if you're in another time zone.  Don't feel like you have to know anything about Hegel in order to participate. We do a good bit of Q&A in these sessions - and I give priority in the discussion to any Hegel-related questions participants ask!

Hopefully I'll see some of you readers of this blog, and followers of the Half Hour Hegel project there!

Hegel Is Always The Right Answer, No?

I couldn't resist.  And now this meme is making the rounds.  On that note, there are actually quite a few memes that people have generated from the Half Hour Hegel project.  Maybe I'll add some in here from time to time, perhaps with a bit of commentary. . .