The End of Western Modern Philosophy: Reading Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit

Author: Zhang Qingming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: The development of Western modern philosophy came to an end with Hegel, and Phenomenology of Spirit is a significant marker of this conclusion, as well as a guide for subsequent philosophical development. This book discusses the content of the original work in ten topics: Philosophy and System, The Subjectivity of the Substance, Self-Consciousness, Reason, Labor, Alienation, Religion, the Principle of Negation, Thought and Reality, and Freedom. Why are there ten topics? The initial intention was to present the basic content of the original work in a relatively comprehensive manner while highlighting key points. "Philosophy and System" and "The Subjectivity of the Substance" (the original phrase is "The Substance in its essence is Subjectivity") are important contents from the author's preface. The title "Philosophy and System" was inspired by the fact that Hegel's philosophy marked the end of the "traditional" philosophical system in Western modernity, but philosophy did not cease to require systems thereafter. "The Subjectivity of the Substance" is not only an important part of the preface but also a central theme throughout the entire book and even Hegel's entire philosophical system. "The Subjectivity of the Substance" is also Hegel's expression of the unity of thought and reality, a proposition of idealism, but the essence of his dialectics, the unity of subject and object, and the concept of subjectivity are precisely expressed through this proposition. Without this proposition and its tone, one cannot grasp Hegel's dialectics. "Self-Consciousness," "Theory," and "Religion" are original titles from the work, and this book elaborates on them in key aspects. "Labor" and "Alienation" are important contents of the "Self-Consciousness" and "Spirit" sections of the original work. Introducing "Labor" and "Alienation" into philosophy played a significant role in Hegel's philosophy in bridging the end of old philosophy and the emergence of new philosophy, representing a highly creative insight in Hegel's thought. To highlight this contribution, these topics are specially listed. As for the "Principle of Negation," it is a fundamental principle of dialectics, and the relationship between "Thought and Reality" is a fundamental problem of philosophy. These are well-explained issues in the teaching and research of Hegelian philosophy and Marxist philosophy, but well-explained issues are not outdated issues. To this day, they remain indispensable and important issues in philosophical research. This book elaborates on Hegel's views on these matters. Finally, "Freedom." Hegel did not write a dedicated work on freedom, but he discussed it extensively in many of his works. In Phenomenology of Spirit, he analyzes "the freedom of self-consciousness," "absolute freedom," and "freedom of will." Freedom is a timeless topic in philosophy, the ultimate goal that philosophical thinkers strive to achieve. This book also concludes with this topic. The ten topics are interconnected, and the underlying theme is the discussion of Hegel from the perspective of the end of Western modern philosophy. Through the negation principle of dialectics, he fully develops the subjectivity and subjective initiative of the subject, achieving harmony between thought and reality and the unity of subject and object to attain the highest ideal freedom and fruitful philosophical thought for humanity. This book was written based on the author's lectures on Phenomenology of Spirit for master's students in philosophy at Xiamen University in the 1980s and 1990s, supplemented and revised over time. Phenomenology of Spirit is a world-famous work, and over two hundred years since its publication, philosophers, thinkers, and philosophical workers and enthusiasts from all over the world have written extensively on it. Although the author has lectured on it multiple times and read many relevant works, he feels his understanding is only superficial and has been preparing to put the manuscript aside. His friends advised him: "You have spent years on this, and you must have some insights—discarding it would be a waste." Encouraged by their words, he reorganized the manuscript, read some recently published works on contemporary and modern philosophy, made significant revisions and additions, and changed the explanation in the order of the original work into ten topics. The purpose is to emphasize the importance of reading classic works, grasping their essential spirit, and thereby improving one's philosophical thinking ability. Any shortcomings in this book are kindly welcomed for critique and correction. From the perspective of the end of Western modern philosophy, this book discusses Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit in ten topics: Philosophy and System, The Subjectivity of the Substance, Self-Consciousness, Reason, etc.