The "explain Hegel to Dracon" thread.

[Dracon II]

I have to do an essay on Master/Slave dialectic in the context of Hegel's concept of Self-consciousness.

Can anyone explain it to me in plain non-Hegelian english? He really is a bastard of a thing to read...

[Agathon]

Hegel is a waste of time.

Analytical Philosophy FTW.

[JohnT]

Might be a waste of time, but Dracon still has to write his essay.

[BeBMan]

He can write that Hegel is a waste of time

[JohnT]

We'll just make some crap up, how about that?

"... er, Hegel was saying that the Master wanted to be the slave cause the master was tired of... something... and that the slave wanted to be the Master because being a slave is teh suxx0rz!"

[BeBMan]

Or interpret it as some sexual relationship

[JohnT]

This is the internet. I'm sure he'll be able to find some appropriate "video" showing a true master/slave relationship.

"Prison Skanks 6: A Hegelian Interpretation"

[Winston]

Immanuel Kant was a real pissant who was very rarely stable,
Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar who could think you under the table,
David Hume could out-consume Schopenhauer and Hegel,
And Wittgenstein was a beery swine who was just as schloshed as Schlegel.
There's nothing Nietzsche couldn't teach ya 'bout the turning of the wrist,
Socrates himself was permanently pissed...
John Stuart Mill, of his own free will, with half a pint of shandy was particularly ill,
Plato, they say, could stick it away, half a crate of whiskey every day,
Aristotle, Aristotle was a beggar for the bottle,
Hobbes was fond of his dram,
And Rene Descartes was a drunken fart, "I drink therefore I am."
Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed;
A lovely little thinker but a bugger when he's pissed.

It's always such a great help when you know your classics.

[SpencerH]

Re: The "explain that opaque son of a ***** Hegel to Dracon" thread.

Originally posted by Dracon II
I have to do an essay on Master/Slave dialectic in the context of Hegel's concept of Self-consciousness.

Can anyone explain it to me in plain non-Hegelian english?

I dont recognize your question as english so I dont think I'd be any help.

[lord of the mark]

my understanding, but i havent read more than 50 pages of Hegel, and that was years ago, and im going more by what ive read about him.


Every body wants to exert their superiority - this is thymos, or spiritedness - part of human nature. The master exerts his thymos by ruling over slaves. But this is ultimately self defeating. You get more glory ruling over superior folk than over inferior folks - thats why a king, who rules over dukes and counts and such, is a bigger deal than some lord who just rules over peasants. Now to rule over a slave, is ultimately not a fulfillment of the masters needs, even as its a denial of the slaves human nature. Thus all can have their thymos expressed the most in a society where all are equally free.

Im not sure what that has to do with self-consciousness.

[SpencerH]

Holy ****! People actually read such crap?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by SpencerH
Holy ****! People actually read such crap?

I take it youve never read my column on "Civ2's Hegelian Tech Tree", have you?

[SpencerH]

I mustaf missed it. Is there a synopsis about?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by SpencerH
I mustaf missed it. Is there a synopsis about?

http://apolyton.net/misc/column/183_hegel.shtml

[Agathon]

There's a story that JK Galbraith tells about the war. During that time Oxford academics were expected to do their bit of service, so a couple of them, a philosopher and an economist, were detailed to guard an airfield one night.

Resources being short, one was armed with a blunderbuss and the other with some ancient fowling piece. Thus equipped, they patrolled the field.

Apparently the economist reported that the philosopher asked if they were likely to see any Germans that evening. When the economist said that this was very unlikely, the philosopher replied: "Shame. I've always hated Hegel."

I feel the same way.