Hegel and the Other: A Study of the Phenomenology of Spirit (SUNY Series in Hegelian Studies) by Philip J. Kain

Hegel and the Other: A Study of the Phenomenology of Spirit (SUNY Series in Hegelian Studies) Reviews

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  Andrew Fairweather

  Overall, this was a book which challenged a lot of untested assumptions I’d had about the ‘Phenomenology.’ Most shocking, for me, was his arguing that the progression of the stages within the ‘Phenomenology’ does not proceed from necessity. Instead, says Kain, consciousness in the ‘Phenomenology’ proceeds from its own lack of awareness, its presupposition. While the idea is intriguing, I wonder what the difference is… if one author (Lauer) argues that the necessity of the ‘Phenomenology’ is driven by necessity meant in the way the German term notwendig means it, the English term “needed” is another, just as, if not more, crucial sense of notwendig, suggests Lauer. We are, thus, not dealing with the absolute necessity implied by analytic rigor. Such necessity would be the work of understanding, not of reason. So if Lauer, who Kain criticizes for arguing for the necessity of the progression of the ;Phenomenology,’ suggests *this* sort of necessity rather than one which proceeds in a strictly logical sense, what would be the significant differences between the two positions? I suppose that the place to begin would be to acknowledge Kain’s explicit statement that the internal relation of all things is not apparent until we reach the level of the whole—only then does necessity show itself. Until then, stages cannot be seen as deductive. But I’m not sure Hyppolite or Lauer would necessarily disagree… certainly not in a strong sense of the word.
  
  My other criticism is the rather meandering section on Hegel’s alleged “racism.” It seems Kain wants to deny charges of Hegel being a racist, while at the same time accepting that Hegel harbored racist ideas. Maybe the inability to hold these two extremes at once (that’s a Hegel joke there) accounts for the bloatedness of this section, which seems to tread and retread the same ground over and over again.
  
  Especially useful were Kain’s musings on Hegel maintaining both an absolutist and relativist position, as well as his insight on Sittlichkeit & Moralität, which is well-heeded.