Some ancient neuro-biology:
Plato wrote in the Timeaus
that in the liver, one finds
the source of the power to prophesize in man
unforutnately, they're out of liver here. I asked
but they'll have some tomorrow...welcome
welcome
from myself and my Daemon
we continue with the next part
of the Phenomenology of Spirit
this is the second part
2.X
I initiately anounced
as if myself being Hegel in Jena
in the first part that
that I would grasp the entire Phenomenology of Spirit
in three episodes
the Spirit
of the Time
in Hegel's case
far more dramatic than in my case because
in his case he was interrupted by Napoleon
in my case
the reality of everyday life
has forced me to
conclude that it will require
more episodes
to explain the Phenomenology of Spirit, I don't know
how many
so
we'll see
today we discuss Reason. We concluded with
the unhapy conscious
and within this conscious
Reason had begun to awaken
only this Reason
was to be found somewhat outside of consciousness
in the sense that
man
at some point realizes
that
there exists
something which we can call truth
yet it is to some extent beyond our grasp
it is beyond conscious
this truth is
is not only rational
it is likewise Reason itself and therefore it is in us
and this is quite unsettling
because
we feel
we are sure that
it is almost a strong faith that
that
Reason
exists
only we are unable to grasp it
and at the moment when
these two oppositions
clash with one another
in the dialectic
what is born is
Absolute Reason
this is one of many triads, because in fact
the entire Phenomenology of Spirit
is made up of triads
which make up
a circle
this is a bit like
in geometry
the mystery of π
so too the mystery of how the dialectic comes full circle
Hegel names this mystery:
Idealism
Idealism is the pure essence
of things
together with their
various
revealed
pluralism
of categories
and
perhaps it would be easier to explain this as follows:
that
the beginning of philosophy
was Socrates' pursuit of knowledge
he knew he did not know
ergo he sought this knowledge
and it seemed that
prior to the appearance of Hegel on the stage
that the end of philosophy is
that Reason reaches the limits
of Pure Reason
I speak here, of course, about Kant
who
prooved
that there are two worlds:
the world
of phenomena
and the world of noumena
the world of noumena
is beyond the reach of
our understanding
yet, Hegel in fact proves that it is not
that we can reach it
and reaching it
Hegel calls the confidence of Being
a calm confidence of Being
which
he paints for us in a picture:
it is the I
who utters what God utters
towards the man who asks Him
and this Reason
almost like
an Israeli who believes
that this God exists
so too this Reason is confident
that this Reason itself exists
it reaches out for itself and
in the gesture, the movement of reaching
it finds
itself in itself
this all sounds
logical, particularly
in Hegel's telling of it
but a problem arises, and Hegel
of course does not shun this problem
this is the problem
of the changing characteristics of matter
described by
the natural sciences;
chemistry, biology and physics
chemistray, biology and physics
go into things
they demonstrate not only
the relations of these things to themselves
they demonstrate the malleability of things
they demonstrate, contrary to philosophy
that
things do not have their essence
they are composed of ever smaller things
they swim
so to speak
they are contrary
to the whole of idea of
a Rational world and an Absolute Reason
they seem to be contrary to the whole idea
of a Rational world an an Absolute Reason
like the one Hegel paints for us
Hegel approaches this question
through the medium of, amongst other things
St. Paul's Letter to the Romans
9:27
wherein St. Paul references
Isaiah
who, in the Old Testament
calls out
For even if
your people, Israel
were like the sand under the sea
the remains of them will return
of course St. Paul
interprets this as
Salvation
Hegel focuses on this sand under the sea
Hegel speaks very beautifully
saying that if we asked
each of the children of Israel
to
uncover
their individual grain of sand
by the sea
the result of such a quest
would be no less meaningless
and arbitrary
as searching for
particles in the brain which are responsible
for
the particular aspects of the soul or
Spirit
ergo Hegel acknowledges that
of coure
that
the search for the truths
of nature is absolutely
a part of Absolute Reason
or more precisely a part of that
dialectic which we call
Absolute Reason - he even titles this part
Observing Reason
but
as an animal consumes
things around it
producing nothing from them
beyond themselves
for these things become
nutrition
from which the animal arises
and preserves its being
so too Reason
consumes things around it and
the alien world
which is a threat for
unhappy conscious
in which Reason awakens
becomes rational
Reasons sees reason within things
and Hegel claims that
were we even to open
all of our intestines
were we even to
look into
each one
of our veins
the entire circulatory system
Reason will not find therein
fulifillment
until
it does not look inside of
its own self
this is the answer
not only Hegel's answer
this is the anti-thesis
against the thesis of
the
idea that natural science proves
in some way that Reason
leads us to
a world
of infinite mystery
in which there is no
Absolute Right and Absolute Reason
Hegel
indicates that the path of the natural sciences
is a path
of reducto ad absurdum
by this Hegel does not wish to
claim that natural science
does not reveal Reason to us
in a way
that is better
he simply warns us
against
falling into
on the one hand into pride which is
sientific
rationality
on the other hand despair
because although
science
explains to us
the structure of things
and even the laws which govern
the cycle
of the history of matter
but
it shatters the hope
for a kind of Abolute Knowledge
Hegel
it is helpful here
to read this fragment, despite appearances
of the Phenomenology of Spirit
which concerns
phrenology. For those who do not know:
phrenology is a pseudo-science
in fact it is discredited
but in the late 18th century
and in the beginning of the XIX century
it was considered something along the lines of
what we could call today
a pseudo-neuro biology
and Hegel of course
as all philosophers do
relates to
contemporary sciences
and he comes to the conclusion that
indeed
in fact
the spirit
can be found in the brain
but
it is pointless to search for it
in depth
as a thing which
is to be found only in the brain
perhaps I will give a contemporary example
there is a book
allow me to show you
it is a contemporary book
written by a philosopher
he is well respected
The Evolution of Mind
From Bacteria to Bach and Back Again
the author demonstrates that
the competencies of Reason arise
without the participation of
conscious reason
he gives many
examples
from modern science,
information technologies by way of analogy
this is an interesting book
it is worth reading
but really, with all due respect, I get the impression that
this is the phrenology of our times
that
as in Hegel's times
phrenologists thought that
they had discovered
the real
nature of the human soul
in the measurements of the skull
so too, Mr. Dennet
discovers the nature of
the human soul
in that which finds itself
in our skulls
and Hegel
warns us
agains this
he claims this is not Reason
this is a part of Reason
this is not Absolute Reason
why?
because
no grain of sand
is the sum total of Israel
returning here to that quote
from the Letter to the Romans
that when
Isaiah
says "your people"
God comprehends
each
Israeli
in their full manifestation
and in this full manifestation
every human wishes to know themselves
Reason too would like to know its full manifestation
does this mean that Hegel
suggests that only God
is capable of knowing us in our full manifestation?
No, Hegel claims that
we are capable of knowing
ourselves
to the same extent to which
God knows us
we cannot know ourselves in our full manifestation
if
we allow for
the fact
that the Spirit
is in matter becomes
the cause
of a reduction
of the Spirit into its component parts
wait, so according to Hegel
the Spirit exists, it is a part of
our identity
in the anatomyical and neurological sense
and it is somewhere in the brain
and it is worthwhile to study the brain
and we are capable of knowing it
yes, but we can only know the Spirit
as
a full
manifestation
kind of all or nothing?
in a sense, yes
if we focus only
on neurobiology
as during Hegel's times
they focused on phrenology
and as in all times
natural science will
attempt to explain
us through purely material causes
so too, in this way
what we do as reason
is that we contradict
our own selves
because we demonstrate
just like, well - indeed - what does this book
demonstrate? This book demonstrates
that our reason arose
without the participation of reason
in other words that we are irrational
and indeed
if we reduce
man
to only cuases
let us call them
materialisticand scientific
we will not understand man in full
as he is manifested
but here one must be cautious
for we cannot thereby
fall into the opposite extreme which is
comprehending man solely as
mystical
solely as mystery
or even
claiming as Kant does
that it is impossible to know fully
that we admit that
the world of the Spirit exists
but it is beyond our reason. Hegel
belives this world is accessible through reason
in
the cyclical process
so Hegel is trying to say that
man, his reason and spirit,
are knowable, but
we need to use different tools
to examin and know it, different from
the tools we use to know the outside world
of animals, plants and so forth
because they do not have the Spirit and therefore
they are a part - the tools are important
normally
that wich appears
to be a contradiction
of spirit and matter...
I am not talking about contradiction, but instead
we require a specific tool
because
as humans
we are distinguished by Spirit, yes?
and we are unable to
understand the human totality with
the same tools of experimentation
we use on other animals, who are without Spirit
Yes - you could indeed put it that way
Yes - absolutely
however
and I underscore this very strongly
this does not mean that Spirit
is outside of matter in Hegel's view
yes, yes, it is simply that
Spirit is a human trait
and no other animal has this trait
I am not claiming that the Spirit is
hokus-pokus
Your tool must be adequate to the thing being measured
one other subject comes to the fore
from our reading of the observing reason
there is
a question regarding
if Hegel is right
something many of his critics
doubt
then does this Absolute Reason
this I
who says "I Am"
re-united with a world in which he sees Reason
with his own Reason
who walks a rational world
as a free, rational being
recognized as such
does this person
not happen to
for the same reasons
that he made it to the state of
Absolute Reason
or
the inevitability of the dialectic
of thesis and anti-thesis
will he not aim for
the Nothing
through actions which we do not recognize
we talked about this to some extent before
in the previous episode
when on the subject of
the gods
of drunkeness
and
the rush
of the conscious towards non-conscious
the animalization of humanity
but that conscious
was not yet rational
here, Hegel presents
a conscious that is Absolute Reason
and the path which
this conscious
must pass
towards
Absolute Reason
the interpretations of Hegel
here it is always
our habit to speak of Hegel's critics, and
we somewhat defend Hegel against his critics
but in some sense
his greatest enemies are his greatest admirers
this is because
the fact that the individual arrives at
Absolute Reason
is not identical
with humanity
at any point in history
arriving at Absolute Reason
a careful reading
of the Phenomenology of Spirit
seems, in my view, to show this perfectly
History itself demonstrates this of course
I asked this question in the previous episode
let's keep it in mind
is
Hegel right
in a sense which closes at some moment
of history?
or is he only
right in a sense that closes at the level of the individual?
and is born again alongside
the birth of each new human?
this is a very important question
for I think
that if
we become apostles of this first theory
then
either we must reject Hegel
since it is enough to look
simply at
the historical facts
regarding human beings in order to
we are somewhat
far from Absolute Reason
however, if
we accept
this second interpretation, then I believe in this case
Hegel becomes not only
closer to us and current
today
but Absolutely Current
always
wait, but is it not so that
history
the events of history are a sum
of particular
individuals?
by which I mean that first there must be
mature
persons who create a mature
conscious
wise society and
this society will create
conscious history
yes, but this society
lasts only as long as
maturity and consciousness
and these might last, for instance, one generation
if that
unless
these are the two visions of History
many
I was going to say "votaries"
but I will use this word, because they
are votaries of Hegel who
should
know that one ought not be a votary
of Hegel
they believe that
History
is
the force of progress
which takes place whether you
like it or not
whether you will it or not - it is inevitable
in saying it is inevitable
it is easy then
to live with illusory hopes about
the future
amongst other things---------------------
but what do we mean by "progress" here?
I understand that there are changes, but progress
suggests that these changes go in a good direction
is this for sure?
that we are changing for the better?
Hegel is of the opinion that - yes.
and this is in fact
the source of the entire problem
that I am talking about here, and this is why
this problem is all the more pressing now
when Hegel wrote
or, parallel to his writing
History ended
in the sense that Man attained Absolute Reason
yet particular
human events
were still moving in this direction
and
it should openly be said here, of course
that we must recall
that the entire political philosophy
of Marx and Marxism
is
the next stage of Hegelian thought
only it goes in such a direction that
it transforms and sees the hope
or intimations of
progress resulting from Absolute Reason as inevitabile
for the communists and the socialists
of the XIX and XX centuries
it was inevitable
that communism is the end of History
because Hegel was right
and communism
in this or that form, because
the communists were at odds amongst themselves
over which form of communism
Soviet? Chinese?
Spanish?
this was an intellectual controversy
and we would here that where ever communism
failed, it was because it was not real communism
where did this faith come from?
where did this confidence come from?
from Hegel
because
as I noted in the previous episode: no one
has seriously undermined the system
of Hegel
Nietzsche
asks what is, in sum, a bullseye
of a question which might undermine Hegel's system
he asks: what is the value of this truth?
he shifts the discussion onto the field of values
he does not dispute that it is true, let it be true!
but what is the value of this truth?
in the sense of "what does anyone want with truth?"----- Yes, exactly
analytical philosophy
for this here is an example of
analytical philosophy
the philosophy of the Anglo-Saxon world
rejects the spirit in full
analytical philosophy
claims that because
natural science has yet to dig up evidence
of the Spirit in our brains or
our veins and intestines
then this means there is no Spirit
for in order to say something exists
it must be proven to exist!
and this is a kind of
a world which has emerged
and what I am attempting to do
amongst other things through
this, the previous and the next episode
I am attempting to save Hegel not so much from
from his critics as from his votaries
he is right only to the extent that
that one defines "right" as
Hegel defines "right"
ergo it could be an incomplete right
and Hegel himself
acknowledges that
one must
the fact that we do not see all the trees
does not mean there is not forest
and here it is hard
not to give Hegel credit
the fact that
in our life time
we will not circle the whole
foest, we cannot count all the trees
we can't touch all the trees - this does not mean
not only does it not mean there is not forest,
it does not mean we have not conceptualized
every tree
yes?
and to conceptualize a thing
is, for Hegel, identical to experiencing
that thing in a tangible way
to conceptualize a thing in full means
to experience a thing in full
this is very interesting and I like it, this combination
of conceptualization with experience
I don't know if I'd put it that way, in the sense that
first you concieve, then you experience
by my way of thinking it would be more that
first we experience, then we concieve
for Hegel likewise
because
to conceptualize a thing through experience
is impossible unless
we experience what we have conceptualized
we must remember that in Hegel's system
and this is rather difficult to
grasp
the Absolute Truth
is not conceptualization
as an experience
nor is it experience as conceptualization
only the first and the second activity
in collision with one another
that's not difficult--------------------------------------------------------------well contrary to impressions, it is
because it is difficult
to explain it
difficult to put into words
it requires that we do as Hegel does
and give very specific definitions to words
very counter-intuitive definitions
and if we descend
from philosophy to the level of
History or human events
I specifically contrast History and human events
because
History has a rational path
while human events simply are things that happen
if we descend to the level of human events
we see that man appears to
in every generation
be only
on one of many of the varied points
of Absolute Reason
which Hegel presents to us as a closed circle
where did Hegel see himself ?
Hegel saw the whole circle
in the sense that he felt that he
knows Absolute Reason, has it and is
one could compare Hegel to
an ancient prophet
from Israel who
has seen God revealed in the desert
this prophet goes into the city and says
that God has told him something
people ask: where is this God?
the prophet answers: in the desert!
and now - go on and check if he's right or wrong!
yes?
who would brave this path?
Hegel writes about this, amongst other things
he writes that there is a mysterious path
which one must go through
and it is an open question:
does all of History go down this path?
is it possible for all of History to go down this path?
on the one hand if we really do look at
modernity, compared to
earlier
stages of history
then even - let us take a child:
a modern child
a 10 year old
or 12 year old
it is highly probable that this child is
at a higher level of knowledge
about the world than an adult man
living 1000 years ago, because for instance the child
knows the Earth is round
this child has learned various things
as obvious
only because
they are obvious today
on account of progress in science, philosophy
progress of knowledge towards Absolute Knowledge
so there is a vast temptation
to say, following Hegel,
or inspired by Hegel
that this final end
in which every human being
will be
Absolute Reason
is just around the corner
and the only question I ask here at the end is
for your serious consideration is as follows:
if we conclude that
it is not so
that the End of History
and the universal
absolutized Rationality
are not just around the corner, does this mean that
we should reject all of Hegel?
or, maybe
this is my suggestion: we should comprehend him anew
and we will begin comprehending anew
in the next episode
as always, I and my Daemon
are very happy that
you were with us, that you are watching us
we encourage you to subscribe to our channel
and to commenting!
we haven't had a single comment yet
so be the first one to comment!
tell us
what you think?
thank you and see you all soon!
what do you want to say about this guy? I'll give you a hint how to say it in Polish...
