Half Hour Hegel: The Complete Phenomenology of Spirit (Preface, sec 71-72)

In this thirty-first video in the new series on G.W.F. Hegel's great early work, the Phenomenology of Spirit, I read and comment on the seventy-first and seventy-second paragraphs of the text, finishing the Preface.

We bring the study of the Preface to a close -- and prepare to start the Introduction to the work -- by looking at Hegel's predictions and explanations for what he takes to be the likely reception for his work. He also reflects on the nature of timeliness and historical progress -- arguing that the time has come at last in modernity for Philosophy to become truly scientific, and meet a public ready to carry out the work to understand it.

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.

The introductory music for the video is: Solo Violin - BWV 1004 - Partita for Violin No. 2 - Recorded in Brooklyn June 26, 2011 specifically to be dedicated to the Public Domain

#Hegel #Phenomenology #Philosophy #Idealism #German #Dialectic #Spirit #Absolute #Knowledge #History

[GregoryBSadler]

We've finally -- after 31 half-hour installations -- reached the end of the Preface!  It's been a lot of work along the way -- for me, and for any of the viewers who've walked the entire path along the way.

We started shooting the first footage back in late February.  It's been a rather steep learning curve for me -- I'm not a tech person, but rather someone who can deliver lectures -- but we've now got the technical aspect of these videos down, so I can concentrate even more on the content.

[donalhughes]

As you correctly predicted in an aside, these lectures are still drawing in viewers after many years. It's impressive that so many individual paragraphs reward careful attention and prompt such interesting and useful reflections. Deep breath now as I turn the page and start the introduction.

[seanliang]

Thank you, Dr. Sadler, for making a dense text accessible for an amateur like me. Your clear explanations of the text really lessen my fear of (mis)understanding philosophy given that I didn't have the chance to take philosophy courses back in the college years. Hegel is such an important influence in theology, philosophy, Marxism and  things that followed afterward, and now I can finally understand him with a certain degree of confidence. I always read the text before listening to your lecture and thus found his ideas fascinating and relevant to my life and career. For the Preface, Hegel's complaints, critique or humors against his opponents or the dumbing down trend often found echoes in my life, but his insistence on making the Notion understandable to people also encourages me not to quit working on my ideas and communication. 

[piyel]

6 years and finally finished the preface. Thank you Dr.Sadler. I've been watching you since I was in high school. your lectures help me discover the purpose of social science and understanding where its demarcations are.

[marxist-leninisttheory]

Hegel was a lot more Marxist (or more accurately the other way around Marx was more Hegelian) then most people think. Lenin pointed out that Hegelian absolute idealism is to dialectical-materialists a one-sided exaggeration but its in some ways a lot more materialistic in it's outlook then dualism or the kind of superstition that is usually contrasted to materialism. It works the other way around too. Lenin criticized positivism for masquerading as materialism while in reality being a kind of absolute idealism.

[felipedim]

I finished the Preface! Onward Ho!
Your series really is a great favour to humanity. Thank you Dr. Sadler.

[abcrane]

on the representatives: these are those who carry forth The Works for the sake of carrying forth The Works (despite any other material or egoistic rewards). in this, this channel, GBS, is a sincere and profound sacrifice, offering, to the Absolute Spirit, and a great honor to The Consortium of the Dead Philosophers Society.

[asgilb]

This has been a great journey so far. Your commentary has cleared a lot of things up for me about this seemingly impregnable text.
I'm definitely going to keep watching these videos.

[brunocarvalho]

Thank you. The past 30 or so lectures have been very great. Cannot wait to keep going!

[caesaraugustus]

Very nice Mr. Sadler. I am really enjoying your, as is were, mediation of what Hegel is saying, especially when you provide real world examples to put more concretely what Hegel may be saying abstractly. It's really interesting to think about, as I am watching these in 2020, who I was back in 2014, and to reflect on the journey I have taken, intellectually, to lead me to this point; and the kinds of intellectual developments and changes that took place over the years in my consciousness and my general worldview. And in a way, I think of it as a kind of personal and subjective development of what overall Hegel is describing universally. Fascinating stuff, thanks so much!

[traditionalistlogos]

Even years later your videos continue to provide insight into Hegel's work. I can personally tell you that watching your videos transformed my understanding of the Preface from vaguely grasping the concepts Hegel puts out to rigorously understanding them. Thank You.

[Philiopantheon]

Just finished watching all the preface, great great reading and explanation Dr. Sadler, I am really enjoying and at the same time positively tarrying)in Hegelian term) myself with these great lectures by you!! I really hope You stay healthy and well enough to do more great lectures of other great works like this. Meanwhile I am ready now to make another journey through the rest of the phenomenology, and through your lecture(its my second reading of the book per Se) but my first reading was really a struggle and many times I got severe headache through some paragraphs but so far your preface reading was lots of help!! Thanks once again. All the great thanks and appreciation Sir

[FrancoisDesiles]

Merci ! Thanks for your perfectly clear explanations of the preface. You really helped me understand it better. Looking forward to the next episodes.

[nicolasharvie]

Amazing work, I have to say I don't think I would have the pleasure and comprehension I get from reading the text if these lectures weren't there. I know I'm pretty far but I'll catch up with you some day!

Thanks a lot
Ps, we really need someone as motivated and disciplined as you to go through Kant's Critique of Pure Reason!

[ZootTM]

Thanks for helping us through the preface! You're doing an excellent job! I think I'll need a short Hegel break now before starting with the introduction and the main body ;)

"Wir müssen überzeugt sein, daß das Wahre die Natur hat, durchzudringen, wenn seine Zeit gekommen, und daß es nur erscheint, wenn diese gekommen, und deswegen nie zu früh erscheint noch ein unreifes Publikum findet"
This first reminded me of Nietzsche, who always talks about being born too early and finding his audience posthumously; Nietzsche also seems to be celebrating the Genius cult and sees himself as one of the few selected who are strong enough to climb the icy heights necessary to overcome Nihilism and judeo-christian decadence. The Übermensch, too, seems like a solitary project - but not even Zarathustra was without his followers.
Hegel and his focus on recognition seems more reasonable to me; Reason must be universal, it is by its very nature not esoteric.

[BeyondSeraphim]

Thank you for all your work in putting this together! This is a lot of fun so far! Excited to move forward with the rest of the project

[danielcox]

You are the man, Dr S! I've genuinely learned a ton so far and can't wait to keep going. Thanks for everything.

[Moervos]

Just finished the Preface, great stuff, thanks for all, keep going!

[elel]

Really thank you for your efforts. Even though I don't get Hegel perfectly, I feel I have been transformed by him in the way I am more systematic, patient in learning, and more appreciative of laborious work! Definitely gonna try to read and do my best to understand Hegel even if it takes years.



I listened Hubert Dreyfus's lectures on Heidegger and Heidegger, while still difficult, is so much easier to read now. Really trying to learn in these videos and then reading the source material seems to work for me!

[behroozrezai]

Dr. Sadler, thank you. Your video lecture was truly inspiring me, It was very difficult subject, however I manage to finish the Preface with your help.