Honors A&S 350B, CLT 599C

materialist psychology of the romantic period. A relatively (!) easy section dealing with now obsolete sciences. Hegel's Phenomenology

Syllabus

Pages and paragraph numbers from Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. A. V. Miller. Following the assignment I have identified some of the topics covered.

3/31. Preface: pp. 1-45; pars. 1-72. Truth, knowledge, philosophical style; relationship to other philosophical systems. Famous slogans: 1) "To palm off its Absolute as the night in which, as the saying goes, all cows are black--this is cognition naively reduced to vacuity" (par. 16); 2) "When natural consciousness entrusts itself straightway to Science, it makes an attempt, induced by it knows not what, to walk on its head" (par. 26, the pretext for Marx's call to stand Hegel on his feet); 3) "The True is thus the Bacchanalian revel in which no member is not drunk" (par. 47).

4/7. Introduction: pp. 46-57; pars. 73-89. Method.

Consciousness, sections 1 and 2--Sense-Certainty, Perception: pp. 58-79; pars. 90-131

4/14. Consciousness, section 3, Force and the Understanding: pp. 79-103; pars. 132-65. Particularly difficult section, introducing the supersensible world and "the inside of things."

Self-Consciousness, section A: Independence and Dependence: pp. 104-19; pars. 165-96. Includes the brief, famous section, "Lordship and Bondage," on which we may want to concentrate our discussion.

4/21. Freedom of Self-Consciousness: pp. 119-38; pars. 197-230. Ancient philosophy: stoicisim, skepticism, leading to the "unhappy consciousness" of Judaism.

Observing Reason--Observation of Nature, Observation of Self-Consciousness in its Purity: pp. 139-185; pars. 231-308. Brief critique of Kantian categories; theory of organic form

4/28. Observation of Self-Consciousness in its Relation to Immediate Actuality: pp. 185-210, pars. 209-346. Critique of If you are making choices, this can get less careful attention than other sections. But don't miss the comparison of begetting and pissing (the translator says "urination," but Hegel says "pissen") at the end, p. 210, pars. 346.

The Actualization of Rational Self-Consciousness: pp. 211-35, pars. 347-94. Includes accounts of Goethe's Faust (based on the fragments published in 1790) and of Schiller's first play, The Robbers.

5/5. Individuality: pp. 236-62, pars. 395-437. "The matter in hand" (die Sache selbst), ethical consciousness, Antigone and property

Spirit, first section, "The True Spirit": pp. 263-294; pars. 438-83. Family, man and woman, guilt in Oedipus, individual and community in Antigone, the Roman Empire

5/12. Self-Alienated Spirit, section 1 and 2a (through "The Struggle of the Enlightenment with Superstition"): pp. 294-349; pars. 484-573. Louis XIV through the 18th century, including a reading of Denis Diderot's dialogue, "Rameau's Nephew." The history of secularization.

5/19. "The Truth of Enlightenment," "Absolute Freedom and Terror"; pp. 349-63, pars. 572-95. Utility. The French Revolution.

Spirit That Is Certain of Itself; pp. 364-409, pars. 596-671. Critique of moral pieties, including the "beautiful soul," a character in Goethe's novel Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship.

NOTE: I will have to leave this meeting promptly at 3.

5/26. Religion. pp. 410-78, pars. 672-787. Ancient religions (from Zoroaster to the Greeks); Greek epic, tragedy, and comedy; Christian communities; the Trinity. This is the longest reading assignment, but again relatively (!) accessible.

6/2. Absolute Knowing, pp. 479-93, pars. 788-808. The end! If we can, instead of the class meeting, I'd like to schedule an Absolute Knowing Bacchanalian Revel (otherwise known as a pizza party), either on campus or at my house.

Assuming enrollments hold, two students will be responsible each week except 6/2 for identifying or selecting discussion topics, which could be important themes in the reading or could be questions you want to raise or problem moments you would like help with. Please post topics and/or brief comments on the course bulletin board at least 2 days before the meeting, 3 if possible. You can work together, or you can divide up the assignment and work separately. While you may write a paragraph if you want, a short list of notes is all that I expect. Other students are strongly encouraged to add postings, particularly with questions and conjectures (maybe even answers) about obscure moments. Shortly after the class session, the 2 students responsible should post a set of notes summarizing the section or the themes and ideas you want to hold on to from it. These notes might run 250-500 words and do not need to be systematic. Something to remember is better than nothing, and may also be better than trying to account for everything. After two weeks on this system, I will check with you if it's working. The aim is to give you an "investment" in one of the sections without the burden of intensive writing or the responsibility of attempting thorough "ownership."