PHIL 395 - Reading Hegel

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

This course engages in a rigorous and careful reading of one of the most important texts in the history of philosophy, G.W.F. Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, published in 1807. The class looks at the work as a whole (in its “totality”) and meets weekly to discuss specific sections of the Phenomenology. Along the way we: address philosophical experience; unpack the movement of Spirit; account for the transitions of knowledge from sense-certainty through perception to the force of the understanding; trace the development of consciousness toward self-consciousness (looking at the battle between lord and bondsman, frequently cited as “the master-slave dialectic”); encounter the various stages of Reason, including morality and law; and end (as all classes should) with Absolute Knowing. Throughout all this, we pay careful attention to what has been called Hegel’s dialectic, focusing on what he calls “the labor of the negative”, while also locating the historical and philosophical references he makes and alludes to along the way.

Students should have prior knowledge and experience of studying texts in the history of philosophy, in particular the early modern tradition (Descartes through Kant). Work throughout the semester includes: weekly reading of a substantial section of the Phenomenology of Spirit, short weekly response papers, and class discussion. Osman Nemli.

Prerequisite(s): Either (1) two intermediate courses, or (2) one advanced course, or (3) permission of the instructor.

One 2-hour period.

Course Format: INT