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Chapter 3 - Equality and Alienation

from Part II - The Self

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2022

Timothy L. Brownlee
Affiliation:
Xavier University, Ohio
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Summary

This chapter begins by setting out the central elements of the distinctive idea of “the self” (das Selbst) that we find in Hegel’s Phenomenology. It demonstrates that the self must be understood as a determination of “spirit,” of the reciprocal interaction between self-conscious beings and their shared social world, so that Hegel defends a “social constitution” conception of the self. Conceptions of the self prescribe determinate relations of self-conscious beings to their actions and to one another, and depend on distinctive forms of language. It tracks the first two conceptions of the self that emerge in the text, that of the person, and of absolute freedom, and unpacks the criticisms of these conceptions implicit in Hegel’s account. While personhood can be affirmed universally of everyone, it is alienating since it cannot include individuals’ particularity. While individuals can understand themselves in terms of the norms of absolute freedom, that conception of the self undermines the bases for relations of reciprocity among them. It concludes by considering the implications of Hegel’s critiques for Stephen Darwall’s conception of recognition.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Equality and Alienation
  • Timothy L. Brownlee, Xavier University, Ohio
  • Book: Recognition and the Self in Hegel's <I>Phenomenology of Spirit</I>
  • Online publication: 01 December 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009099141.005
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  • Equality and Alienation
  • Timothy L. Brownlee, Xavier University, Ohio
  • Book: Recognition and the Self in Hegel's <I>Phenomenology of Spirit</I>
  • Online publication: 01 December 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009099141.005
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Equality and Alienation
  • Timothy L. Brownlee, Xavier University, Ohio
  • Book: Recognition and the Self in Hegel's <I>Phenomenology of Spirit</I>
  • Online publication: 01 December 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009099141.005
Available formats
×