Hegel''s Phenomenology of Spirit : Not Missing the Trees for the Forest

Howard Kainz addresses several areas of Hegel's Phenomenology that are often overlooked in the interest of ensuring that readers do not "miss the trees for the forest." He argues that these "trees" are of interest in their own right, and keys to the ongoing appreciation of Hegel's work.

In most commentaries on Hegel''s Phenomenology, the emphasis has been on presenting the totality as a chain of phenomenological developments leading up inexorably to the final chapter on "absolute knowledge." In other words, the mission of the commentator has been to make sure that the reader does not miss the forest for the trees, as the saying goes—getting so wrapped up in individual moments that he or she misses the all-important dialectical movement of the work. The present work is a reflection on some of the "trees" that are of interest in their own right, and keys to the ongoing appreciation of this classical work—for example, why language (die Sprache) performs an indispensable function in Hegel''s concept of phenomenological development; how the groundbreaking theme of intersubjectivity emerges in this work; why character-types like Hegel''s "Unhappy Consciousness" and "Knight of Virtue" have a contemporary relevance; what influence the Phenomenology had on Kierkegaard; why what appear to be mere summaries and recapitulations in the Phenomenology are much more than that; why the literary aspects of this philosophical work should not be overlooked; and why Hegel''s "absolute knowledge" is not absolute in any of the usual senses of the word.