50 pages • 1 hour read
Phenomenology of Spirit
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Part 4Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 4: “Spirit”
Part 4, Chapter 6 Summary: “Spirit”
By applying reason to the observation of others’ actions, humans know one another. Spirit occurs when the individual knows oneself. The concept of “spirit” is presented as the pinnacle of reason and absolute knowing: “Reason is Spirit when its certainty of being all reality has been raised to truth; and it is conscious of itself as its own world, and of the world as itself” (263). Spirit occurs when people collectively move from the passive forms of cognition to reason, during which they recognize themselves in the other. Spirit is the actualization of collective ethical consciousness.
The True Spirit. The Ethical Order
Hegel opens this section of the chapter with a statement that seems to contradict his earlier assertion that Spirit is a form of collective ethical consciousness: “Spirit is, in its simple truth, consciousness, and forces its moments apart” (266). Consciousness is divided into three moments: substance, the reality of the object; individualized reality, the construction of reality through human experience; and ethics, which Hegel asserts brings unity to itself and others. The division of Spirit emphasizes the conflict which arises between ethical thought and Divine Law, human action, and human law. Families submit to Divine Law, which can be at odds with governmental law.
Communities, like individual consciousness, must apply collective reason to reflect on personal and societal identity and self-awareness. Families, made up of individuals existing as independent ethical entities, achieve Spirit by a devotion to a shared ethical purpose. A more realized truth emerges from this collective effort.
The same is true for nations: Hegel proposes that a government is the manifestation and realization of Spirit. When governments model themselves after the mutuality of families, which Hegel views as a model of seeing the self in the other, then human law can eradicate unequal hierarchies of power and emphasize Divine Law as a universal. Self-consciousnesses which exist in a system of ethical consciousness can find pleasure in their status as both individuals and members of communities. Their ethical code aligns with the virtues of society. This equilibrium moves Spirit to a new realm of collective consciousness.
Hegel then returns his attention to individual consciousness, reminding his readers that a person’s actions are the manifestation of a person’s true nature. Humans feel guilty when they do not live according to the Divine Law which governs individual deeds. They feel innocence when their actions align with ethical consciousness. Humans experience constant tension between their actions and consciousness, their ethics and societal values. Hegel applies a critical view to human law and rulers whom he feels actively work to dismantle the unity and divine ethics of individuals.
Self-Alienated Spirit. Culture
In this passage, Hegel highlights once more the division that occurs for the individual as they navigate small and large communities while holding on to their independent ethical identities. In the triadic model, Spirit suspends people in antithesis. Spirit manifests as culture in which humans are divided while also part of the whole. Human judgment about state power and political law is based upon the subjective experience of the individual. The division between self and culture creates alienation and isolation: “The world it looks on as something alien” (297). Pure insight, a product of the Enlightenment, and faith are both outcomes of culture. Hegel describes pure insight and faith as damaging forms of Spirit which are incapable of self-realization.
Spirit That Is Certain of Itself. Morality
The division between individual ethical consciousness and societal law is overcome by the acknowledgment of this division. When ethical consciousness rebels against a law which promotes inequality and wealth over morality, the dialectic model moves beyond antithesis: “Self-consciousness knows duty to be the absolute essence” (365). A post-revolutionary future is one in which ethics and society are in alignment through moral awareness and duty.
Part 4 Analysis
The term Geist can be translated from German as “Spirit” or “Mind.” Hegel’s meaning transcends the individual mind. Instead, it represents collective and universal self-actualization for human culture. “Spirit” is a complicated subject and the heart of Hegel’s philosophical works. Critics of Hegel’s work often point out that his theories are convoluted and seem to contradict themselves. In this chapter, Hegel explores Self-Awareness and the Spirit while maintaining that Spirit both contributes to a collective ethical order and divides humans and law. He presents Spirit as the culmination of cognition, understanding, and reason while simultaneously proposing that Spirit splits consciousness and leads to alienation. Hegel highlights the continuous tension between external reality and internal consciousness. Even while humans engage with Reason and Spirit, they experience a conflict between divine and human law.
Hegel outlines a view of human experience that suggests individuals submit to Divine Law. Through perception and reason, they develop Notions about the difference between right and wrong. They become self-aware of their own actions and what their deeds say about their internal nature. Humans with a higher level of consciousness learn to see themselves in others and act accordingly. However, Hegel asserts that society operates according to a different law, one which worships power and wealth. Spirit as culture can also define human law. Human communities develop systems of government around their collective worship. This creates tension between the individual and culture, returning to antithesis, the second point in the triadic form of thesis-antithesis-synthesis. The Science of Logic and Absolute Knowing requires that humans reconcile this conflict to move to a greater collective consciousness.
When individuals begin to see themselves in others and the object, then they begin to live ethically for others as well as themselves. The conflict between individuals and society can be resolved through right action and duty. Hegel’s ideas are firmly rooted in his historical context. He proposes that the division is overcome through revolution—the acknowledgment that individualized ethical consciousness is threatened by governmental power, wealth, and law. This argument mirrors what Hegel was seeing during the French Revolution. The philosopher takes a positive view of the future of humanity by suggesting that a time will come when enough individuals live according to their own ethical consciousnesses that culture will begin to align with Divine Law.
This idea also contributes to the theme of The Evolution of Truth and Consciousness. The development of Spirit as culture and Spirit as community occurs over time through persistent effort and reason. Hegel continuously notes that an evolved consciousness involves both living for others and maintaining a sense of individualized identity. When this happens collectively, society moves toward a higher level of societal consciousness.
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