 Welcome to this lecture on aspects of western philosophy module 25. So, in continuation with the topics which we have covered in the last lecture, this lecture will again concentrate on the works of Hegel, particularly the two topics which we are going to address which we are going to discuss in this lecture are the concept of absolute idealism and then the major theme of the phenomenology of spirit which is the progress from consciousness to self-consciousness and from there ultimately to reason. So, the three stages of evolution of spirit, so these are the topics which we are going to primarily cover in this lecture. As I have already mentioned in the previous lecture, Hegelian philosophy or Hegel as a philosopher is a very interesting thinker, because particularly for Indians because is very close to India's Vedantic tradition with this concept of absolute or geist or universal mind which encompasses the hall of reality. And in that sense Hegel is very important thinker, Hegel is a very special thinker for Indians number one and another thing is that Hegel follows a period which is immediately after enlightenment or rather at the peak of enlightenment, particularly after Immanuel Kant introduced his very important and influential philosophy critical philosophy or transcendental critical philosophy in German philosophical circles. And Hegel is trying to respond to some of the concerns which Kant himself has raised or Kant himself has responded to at the same time trying to improve upon Kant trying to resolve certain issues which Kant, Shin transcendental philosophy or enlightenment philosophy as such could not rather resolve. So, as I mentioned in the previous lecture Hegel is adopting a kind of totalizing approach to philosophy and he has a concept which encompasses all reality under one umbrella concept that is absolute. So, we will start with that concept absolute idealism and here this is as it is evident from an introduction to Hegel, Hegel's primary aim is to arrive at an all encompassing theory to bridge the finite with the infinite again we can see this as a response to enlightenment philosophy. In enlightenment this is very clear for example, Kant has maintained a distinction between finite and the infinite the phenomena and the nomina the phenomenal reality is finite that which is experience that it appears in front of us and something which does not appear something which lies behind it something which is infinite. So, this division is fundamental to enlightenment thought and also to Kantian philosophy, but Hegelian system is trying to address this issue and trying to resolve this or trying to bridge this gap between finite and the infinite it is only the hall is real this is again a very celebrated Hegelian slogan only the hall is real all particular facts and concepts are incomplete and only are partially true. Each concept taken in isolation each concept taken in abstraction is incomplete and untrue the hall alone is true that is the fundamental Hegelian absolute and what is this hall? This hall is the absolute the spirit the mind so and again Hegel's new way of thinking we can take the irrational approach to of contradicting the houses which we have already examined in the previous lecture the method of dialectics. So, to understand or to comprehend reality which is rational in a sense human reason can do that Hegel has the faith in human reason he has the confidence in human reason that human mind can comprehend reality because reality essentially shares a rational structure with the human mind because the human mind is also part of it. Now, how does the human mind approach reality there should be a method and this method is the method of dialectics where we allow a sort of we take an irrational approach contradicting ourselves apparently irrational approach that is because you are dealing with the absolute which encompasses everything all different entities are under that absolute. So, once you try to understand those reality a phenomenon which includes everything it is bound to include also differences different entities entities which are different from each other and even sometimes contradict each other concepts which contradict each other. So, naturally we have to adopt an irrational approach and cosmic history consists in the life history of spirit or geist which is the absolute and the geist is a process a rational process we have already examined this in the previous lecture a little bit when we talked about reality conceiving reality as a process not as a static entity as Emmanuel Kant conceived it. It is a process it is a process which involves the interaction between the subject and the object. So, the fundamental distinction between subject and object is blurred in Hegelian philosophy because it is a process where this interaction of subject and object is also part of it again the absolute and compasses everything everything. So, all different entities contradicting aspects concepts everything is part of that everything I just quote everything that from eternity has happened in heaven and earth the life of God and all the deeds of time are simply the struggles of spirit to know itself and to find itself. So, Hegel presents conception of reality as an absolute as an absolute entity which is not an entity as such because in order to be an entity something needs to limit itself, but absolute is an unlimited indefinite substance entity, but of course different from the concept of infinite substance advocated by Spinoza and many others. Here the substance involves differences the differences and contradictions are real they are not unreal in Hegel and it is a process it is a process it is a moving dynamic process according to him. And again what is this process this process as a meaning in every stage the process characterized by a moment of realization and in each stage it realizes the higher stages from lower to higher. So, there is a teleology that is being unraveled in the process and towards the end it culminates in the absolute. So, it is a process where spirit the absolute realizes itself knows itself and to find itself again spirit is universal and concrete within itself it is intelligent comprehension of itself it is intelligent comprehension of itself. So, every unraveling of the spirit or evolution stage of evolution is nothing but an intelligent comprehension of itself is at the same time the progression of the total evolving reality. And here we can see in this figure a summary of Hegelian project Hegelian philosophy Hegel divides philosophy into three basic headings logic which deals with the count of the forms of thought where he also includes dialectic and other aspects of it which we have already discussed. The second one is nature philosophy where it deals with the natural sciences as the manifestation of the forms of thought all natural sciences are nothing but as the manifestation of this universal thinking and again the philosophy of the Geist deals with the manifestation of the forms of thought in society. So, it is a historical process. So, in one sense Hegel wants to comprehend everything comprehensively bring everything put everything together under this notion of philosophy which philosophers can know. Logic the account of the forms of thought natural philosophy deals with the natural sciences as the manifestations of the forms of thought and philosophy of Geist deals with the manifestation of the forms of thought in society. What is important here is all the three sections deal with forms of thought and the fundamental unity of the rational forms are emphasized by Hegel. So, everything is rational. So, I mentioned in the previous lecture that Hegel and on one occasion he says that he proclaims one of the very important insights of Hegelian philosophy the rational is real and the real is rational. The rational forms are the real forms rationally understanding the world consists in understanding the world deeply into the deeper levels of reality you actually delve into the deeper levels of reality through this through by applying the rational approach everything coincides in the absolute. The absolute is the ultimately real which is the whole process that encompasses the subjective and the objective it is the same rational structures are in me that my thinking my rational thinking my thoughts follow the same rational structure which is manifested in reality in the world in nature in human history in all that man engaged in doing like architecture, arts, philosophy, religion everywhere the same reality is manifested. So, the ultimately real which is the whole process and encompasses the subjective the objective internal and external and all the three dimensions of time it is a complex organic system. So, Hegel emphasizes the word organic because the kind of unity he was trying to envisage is the kind of organic unity constituted of individual separate things that are real their reality consisting in them being an aspect of the whole. So, each object is real unlike Spinoza in Spinoza substance we have seen that you know the final analysis substance alone is real everything sort of becomes unimportant. But here the separate things are real their reality consisting in them being an aspect of the whole. So, there is a kind of interconnectedness without the whole the a finite independent entities never exist, but without these finite independent entities the infinite also never exist there is an interconnectedness there is a logical interconnectedness between this what makes the infinite infinite is the finite it is in relation with the finite the infinite becomes infinite and vice versa incorporates both the finite and the infinite bridges the finite with the infinite. So, that is one of the primary purposes of Hegelian system. Now, again absolute idealism does not talk about the reality that appears before us something which can would talk about the phenomenal reality which appears before us which is not thing in itself which is not things in themselves which is not the nominal ultimately real the all-encompassing theory of absolute idealism cannot be approached with the model of cognition advocated by enlightenment rationality enlightenment rationality functions on the basis of sudden fundamental dichotomies between finite and infinite between appearance and reality something which you can never see and all such you know internal and external mind and the world. So, all such sort of dichotomies are fundamental for enlightenment rationality which Hegel cannot accept Hegelian approach is to totalize everything to bring everything together comprehensive approach he adopts turn invert to our understanding to arrive at the true source of philosophical knowledge. So, it is a kind of in that sense you know it is very close to the Kantian approach Kant also does this he also turns invert trying to understand what is there I mean the gaze is on the consciousness in the Kantian philosophy as well. But Hegel refers to or rather he goes a little further than Emmanuel Kant and our understanding to arrive at the true sources of philosophical knowledge what is that what is that rational structures which constitute everything that is what his aim allow contradiction to take place and reconcile them this we have already examined and allow the process of progress and manifest itself in thinking and reality. Now, the concept of reality is it is a very interesting notion he has which is again drastically different from the enlightenment inception because the enlightenment conception never adopts a teleological approach. So, but for Hegel the notion of reality he advocates is governed by the principle of teleological causality and not mechanical efficient causality of the enlightenment tradition cause effect relationship as it is explained in the enlightenment tradition. But here the emphasis is more on the interconnectedness it is on the hall the meaning of each stage is realized in the hall which is the rational which is the absolute. So, there is always a notion of absolute which is not something yet to be arrived at, but it is a process the absolute is not actually independent of this independent entities which are in a process of realizing or actualizing their potentialities, but everything put together is what constitutes the absolute. So, here we can see the influence of Aristotle a revision of the conception of rationality and to overcome Kantian separation between nominal and phenomena finite and infinite internal and external appearance and reality all those things which I have already mentioned. So, Hegelian notion of reality is a comprehensive concept which is envisaged to overcome all these fundamental dichotomies which Kantian philosophy has presupposed. Again teleological causality the identification of the reality as essentially spiritual not material, reality is essentially spiritual and when you say reality is essentially spiritual not material everything every change every movement that takes place in nature can be conceived not merely mechanically, but containing a meaning. So, everything that happens has a meaning because nothing is mechanical nothing is purely mechanical and things are spiritual. So, the spiritual aspect is emphasized like Aristotle. So, it is a teleological conception where Aristotle originally identified identification of the fully substantial being with spirit which in its essence is activity potentiality to actuality which Aristotle has explained which we have already discussed as part of this lecture series in one of the early lectures. These have a meaning. So, this is again another seminal feature of teleological conception everything has a meaning it is not mechanically present there. Every process happen in the world are rational, purposive and with full of meaning. So, every stage contains the past and also the future in it. So, every stage is a meaningful process or a meaningful stage in a process that begins from somewhere and is going to culminate in somewhere else and again since reality is rational we can understand it unity of logic and metaphysics understanding trying to understand reality by employing a method is a rational method that is where logic comes into picture and a conception of reality is where your metaphysics comes into picture. So, metaphysics and logic coincides in Hegelian philosophy. Now, again little bit more about the teleological process I think I should explain this reality, world, thought and reason are not static like as it was in the case of enlightenment many of these enlightenment philosophers it is static. But here it is not static, but are dynamic and they move and evolve it is not just blind movement, but it is a meaningful evolution that happens. So, that is why the approach is teleological it is evolution and hence is teleological evolutionary process is something that is undeveloped, undifferentiated, homogenous and hence abstract develops differentiates splits up assumes many different forms. So, this is what happens in we deal with reality, reality as absolute, reality as spirit as geist is a dynamic reality which is a process which is not a static entity, but a process which is process in which the undeveloped, undifferentiated, homogenous and abstract reality develops into by means of differentiating itself splitting up and assuming many different forms. And these different finite forms may contradict each other until at last they are unified in the absolute. So, in one sense the absolute is not something which is yet to be achieved it is already there, but on the other hand each moment is a process of self-realization is a continuous process the absolute realize as itself we can put it in that way and absolute is thus a unity in diversity. So, again we will just invoke this slogan, real is rational and rational is real which we have already mentioned in the previous lecture. The absolute spirit or God is the ultimate reality the geist or objective mind reality is a complex totality of rational concepts consisting absolute spirit. The real is the rational and the rational is real this totality of thought is absolute and infinite unlike the finite minds of humans. So, here what Hegel means by rational is that every aspect of reality or every event of reality has a structure and this structure according to him is a rational structure it exhibits the rational structure that is what he means by reality is rational and rational is real. Now reality is rational conceptual totality and then integrated and total structure of conceptual truths. So, everything both the subject and the object everything is a moving dynamic reality it is a conceptual totality it constitutes a conceptual totality and then integrated and total structure of conceptual truths. The totality of conceptual truth reveals itself in all areas of human experience and knowledge whether it is history or physics or any discipline any intellectual or other endeavor human beings are engaged in it is this totality of conceptual truth reveals itself. And again reality is rational the vast structure of rational concepts that includes all areas the real is rational, but not different from what is existence. See again it is a very interesting contrast between the enlightenment philosophy particularly Kantian philosophy and Hegelian thought. In Kantian philosophy the real is different from what is existent what is being perceived what is being experienced and seen in front of us or rather to put it in other way it is what is appearing in front of us, but here really is rational, but it is not different from what is existent rational is the existent object more deeply understood. So, Hegel refers to that depth understanding the deep understanding of all that is existent the deeper understanding of the vast realms of physical and organic nature and of society is what this absolute reality is constitutive of. And again rational concepts are not independent or transcendental apart from the concrete world. So, they are not unlike Kantian forms which are transcendental they are not independent of it rational concepts constitutes that rational core of the world of things. So, they are everything that is why Hegel approaches philosophy with a historians approach. So, everything every human reality you would find the presence of this rational structures. Reality is knowable its rational structures are knowable this is where you know he is again significantly different from Kantian approach where reality is not knowable Kant is an agnostic he says that the real things in themselves are unknowable one cannot know it, but for an absolute idealist of the Hegelian kind reality is knowable because its rational structures are knowable it is the same rational structures which are human thinking or human thought shares. So, since there is a commonality between these two one is only a manifestations of the other it is knowable the absolute reality manifest itself to us in ordinary experience in logic and natural science in psychology politics and history in painting poetry and architecture and in religion and in philosophy in short in all possible human endeavors. The absolute being is a common root of the categories or pure concepts again it is the emptiest and at the same time the most comprehensive reality. So, when we talk about the absolute this is a very interesting aspect that comes to our mind that we can never miss noticing because on the one hand Hegel says it is a root of the categories of pure concept everything it encompasses everything and in that sense it is not something very specific we can identify what is this absolute we cannot say that it is x or y we cannot specify it we cannot determine it because it is indeterminate it involves everything something which is everything cannot be something which is everything cannot be anything because to be anything something has to be something which means we need to determine it it cannot be indeterminate, but here absolute is essentially indeterminate and in that sense it is emptiest and at the same time the most comprehensive reality the most comprehensive is bound to be empty because in order to be something it has to be determinate the most abstract and the most real at the same time the most elementary and the most exalted notion all our concepts express modes of being and our transformation of the idea of being. So, the absolute being is not something specific or determinate because all our concepts are nothing but expressions of modes of this absolute being now every stage in the process contains all the preceding stages and for shadows all the future stages. So, this is what I said there is a continuity a meaningful continuity where potentialities are actualized. So, every stage in the process contains all the preceding stages and for shadows the future stages every finite stages both a product and a prophecy the lower form is negated in the higher, but is also preserved in the higher we have already discussed this when we have discussed the dialectical method in the previous lecture where how in the process of dialectic or in dialectic method the thesis and the antithesis culminates in the synthesis with a process that involves negation, preservation and elevation the three important stages in the dialectical method. So, I am not going to the details here. So, it is the same thing the lower form is negated in the higher, but is also served in the higher or rather even elevated in the higher it has been carried over and sublated in the higher. So, in the process of evolution ends or purposes are realized this is the case with all teleological processes there is something a purpose a meaning is realized a purpose is realized in that process the purpose of universal reason is realized in the process the truth lies in the hall the truth of the organism and here we can see that you know the falls in abstract divisions of reality which philosophers often subscribe to this is the false abstract divisions like between essence and appearance which is very classically done by the enlightenment philosophers inner and outer realities substance and attribute infinite and finite force and its expressions mind and matter God and the world. So, all these are classical examples where philosophers have maintained divisions in philosophy according to Hegel the concept of reality includes all these things. So, this divisions are not really true falls and abstract divisions philosophers make reality is the hall once you graduate to this conception of reality into an all encompassing all comprehending reality then these divisions apparently do not figure in as philosophically significant in your scheme of things. The absolute in that sense is a spiritual and logical process of evolution it is to comprehend reality we need to experience this process in ourselves. So, something which is again against the enlightenment conception which envisages that all understanding consists in the kind of subject object relationship where the subject is posited over and against the object looks at it dispassionately. So, this notion of subject object epistemological distinction is again cancelled in Hegel where to comprehend reality we need to experience the process the spiritual and logical process of evolution which is nothing but reality we need to experience it in us our minds need to experience it in us and we can do that because we also share our thoughts share the rational structures which is nothing but the structure of reality by reproducing the rational necessity in all thought and in reality in our thinking by dialectic. So, something which we have already explored in the previous lecture the process of dialogue actually does it by inventing or by encountering the contradictions thinking evolves rationally moves logically genetically and dialectically. So, thinking is not a static process not a mechanical process which starts from one end and reaches the other end, but it is a kind of interactive process it moves logically and rationally, but at the same time genetically and dialectically. So, in that way it is interactive it is historical it is a process and again the absolute of geist is the creative logos or reason it contains in it the entire logical dialectical process which unfolds itself in the world all the laws of its evolution are outlined in the absolute and hence find expression in the form of objective existence. So, the laws of its evolution the process of evolution the process of the evolution of the absolute which is nothing but the world is everything that happens in this world everything that goes on in this world is nothing but a part of this process of the evolution of the world which is nothing but an evolution of the absolute or the process that is absolute. So, the evolution is outlined in the absolute and hence find expression in the form of objective existence. So, whatever exist things or processes or events are nothing but manifestations of this process which is absolute and in this context very interesting to see what is God. God is not separate from the world God is the living and moving reason of the world God reveals himself in the world in nature and in history nature and history are necessary stages in the evolution of God into self consciousness and again God and world are not eternally separated as conceived by enlightenment reason. So, the concept of absolute even encompass this concept. So, in one sense we can say that this absolute is God. So, in that sense God and the world are not really separate from each other. So, the world is also part of that process which absolute is, but God is not absorbed in the world nor the world is absorbed in God. God cannot be without creating a world and without knowing himself in his other the dialectic and absolute is unity of opposition. So, before we conclude our lecture on this this is an interesting aspect which would actually take us to the next topic the phenomenology of the mind or the phenomenology of the spirit the relationship between world God and the human mind. So, again as Hegelian totalizing philosophy emphasizes they cannot be different from each other at the same time they are different. So, it is unity in difference in one sense because the absolute involves everything, but at the same time different things maintain their differences yet their unique identities. These unique identities these differences these dichotomies and these contradictions are not final they can be resolved and move on only by resolving these differences and dichotomies the process can move on to higher stages. Moving to higher stages is extremely important for Hegelian philosophy because ultimately the unity needs to be attained. So, human mind is not a mere inferior dependent entity as it is conceived in many other philosophical traditions. Here the interesting aspect is that the divine idea is enriched by itself expression in nature and history and rises through them to self consciousness and the absolute things itself in its object it comes to know its own essence only in evolution and this happens only in man. So, this is the interesting aspect of the inter relationship between God world and human mind. The divine idea is enriched by its self expressions in nature and history and rises through them to self consciousness. So, it is a process that goes on and on to higher and higher levels of self consciousness the absolute the process is where the absolute thinking itself in its objects. So, the absolute itself is in the process of thinking by being part of the process or by being the process itself it comes to know its own essence only in evolution and this happens only in man. Now, this expression of universal reason the rational structures or rational forms which Hegel was emphasizing it is visible in nature individuals human institutions history low morality custom ethical observation everything all over all aspects of human life customs conventions beliefs religious traditions everywhere you will find the expression of the universal reason in all such instance the universal spirit realizes its purpose in a rational dialectical movement. And the supreme stage is the evolution of the logical idea is the absolute mind from conceiving it as the culmination of the process is the absolute mind, but the absolute mind involves everything. Now, with this understanding in the backdrop now we will try to understand this very important aspect of Hegelian philosophy the phenomenology of spirit which is actually an attempt to outline biography of the spirit of humanity as Hegel already mentioned are all human endeavors are all human achievements human history itself is nothing, but a process. Since the process it is teleological it can be also understood as a kind of evolution from lower stages to higher and higher stages and finally, to the highest stage which is the ultimate synthesis of everything. So, the phenomenology of spirit is an attempt to present the biography of the spirit of humanity the evolution of human spirit from lesser stages of existence and realization to higher and ultimately to the highest stage. The phenomenology is important as only in the mind of man one comes to know its own evolution the absolute comes to know or even god comes to know its own evolution and to describe a history of consciousness. So, what is phenomenology see when we try to understand our mind or mind alone when we conduct an examination of a study of mind we call it psychology, but mind is an entity which comes into contact with objects in the world or the entire world mind is in contact with. So, when you try to understand the mind in connection with the objects to which it is related then it is not purely psychology then it is you are trying to approach it from a different perspective when we try to understand our own understanding of the world that is where we become conscious about ourselves. So, consciousness is being studied. So, what happens here is that phenomenology studies mind in relation to external or internal objects what happens when the mind comes into contact with external as well as internal objects. There is a consciousness about these objects. So, that consciousness is being studied. So, in one sense we can say that phenomenology is a science of consciousness phenomenology is actually not Hegel's invention, but Hegel significantly contributes to the development of phenomenology which by 19th century develops into new domains and nowadays in today current contemporary philosophy phenomenology is a very significant philosophical approach, but the Hegelian sense it consists of three main parts corresponding with the three main phases of consciousness. The three main phases of consciousness are one is consciousness where you are just conscious of something see I am conscious of this chair in front of me or a camera in front of me or various other things in front of me just a kind of you know consciousness about something which is there present. The second stage it is called self-consciousness I am conscious of the fact that I am conscious and the third stage is reason I will explain that in due course. The first one is consciousness where as I said it is a stage of sense certainty something is there the chair is there in front of me the camera is there in front of me or the world of things are there in front of me. So, there is a kind of sense certainty present at this stage it is an uncritical apprehension by the senses of particular objects I am not reflecting upon what it is what the process is going on see when I see the camera in front of me or a chair in front of me I am not really reflecting what is happening the process I am just understanding that it is a camera or a chair. So, it is a kind of uncritical apprehension by the senses of a particular object and appears to the naive consciousness as the most certain and basic form of knowledge I never doubt it there is a chair in front of me there is a camera in front of me I never doubt that that is in something which is so certain as well as I am concerned, but now the moment I try to describe it when I try to describe such an object see there is a camera in front of me or there are 20 chairs in front of me there is one human being standing in front of me. So, when I the moment I try to describe these experiences which have this and certainties which have in order to describe such an object of immediate acquaintance we need to employ universal category. So, when I say 20 chairs in front of me. So, I am employing the universal category of quantity 20 20 is the universal it is nothing very peculiar to these chairs here it is a universal I can even say 20 human beings or 20 days 20 hours. So, all these are I mean I am employing a universal category of quantity which is very cancean in that sense. So, what Hegel reminds us is that this level of static sense certainty will not take us further the moment we try to describe our sense certainty or experiences we have to actually refer back to universal categories. And these universal categories have to be found within ourselves they are not there the chairs are there, but the 20 chairs to understand it as a chair as a blue chair with a certain features I mean to understand an object as a chair is to understand it as a certain object with certain features which means my mind is able to categorize it as something to categorize it as something this knowledge should come from within from my mind. So, it is my contribution. So, what Hegel says is that often we invoke meta phenomenal or unobservable entities to explain sense phenomena say for example, nowadays we talk about nanotechnology. So, we refer to nanoparticles of objects. So, an understanding of a particular object or understanding of a particular process is possible by invoking this notion of nanoparticles. So, when I do that what I am trying to do is that this category of you know particles category of nanoparticles they are all something which is there my contribution the contribution of my consciousness the souls of such categories are my own understanding they are not in the world, but they are in my own understanding consciousness is thus turned back to itself. So, in this way I am actually forced to turn back myself. So, which is a Kantian process it becomes self conscious or self consciousness we can see and now the summary of this discussion is sense certainty can say that an object is, but not what it is there is an object, but what it is it is a chair it is an apple it is a camera. So, all such categorizations are done by me they are my contribution. Now, we come to self consciousness the self is concerned with the external objects the self subordinates the object to itself and approach the object to comprehend it and use it to its purpose. See when I see a chair I subordinate the object to myself it is a chair it is something which I can use for serving my own purposes I would rather use the word I objectify it everything in front of me I objectify it I have a use with it I can appropriate it tries to appropriate it and consume it. So, I am using it for my own purposes it is an object for me I distinguish myself from that object that object is only an object while I am a subject I am a self. Now as far as chairs and tables and cameras are concerned this is alright this approach is fundamentally alright there is absolutely no problem in it, but the moment I encounter another human being encounters a threat when the self confronts other selves which are different from objects instead of a chair I have a human being in front of me that moment there is a threat I cannot objectify that human being because that human being is not just like a chair, but he or she is like me like a subject and he or she can also objectify me. So, if I want to assert my own selfhood my own distinguished identity as a self as a subject and not just a mere object then I will have to make him or her an object. So, my attempt to objectify him I will definitely attempt to objectify him, but the problem is that if I try to objectify him then the possibility that he would also try to objectify me is actually posing a threat to my own existence. So, the recognition and the realization that the world is constitutive of subjects like me and not just objects like chairs and tables that pauses a threat to my own existence. So, that is where the second stage encounters a kind of what you call dilemma or a kind of crisis in its existence. Encountering the other self the self feels a desire to cancel out or annihilate the other self as a means to the assert its own selfhood. So, in order to assert my selfhood I am trying to cancel that other self. So, but this is counter predictive the consciousness of once on selfhood demands as a condition the recognition of this selfhood by another self. So, for me to exist as a self so that I can assert my selfhood I need the other person who would recognize me as a self. So, all my attempts to cancel his or her selfhood assuming that his or her selfhood is a potential threat to my own selfhood is bound to be counter predictive because if I annihilate him if I make him a non self then who is that to recognize me as a self. So, it is going to be counter predictive the master slave relationship is invoked here in this context famously by Hegel it says that in order to assert one's own selfhood one enslave the other. So, one possibility is that I encounter along with chairs and tables and other objects in the world a human being who is also a self like me. Now, that pauses a threat to me and I want to assert my selfhood. So, in order to assert my selfhood what I will do is that I will enslave the other person by enslaving the other person I am just taking away or annihilating his selfhood I am not recognizing him as a human being. Now, by enslaving the other one does not recognize the former as a real person. So, for me he or she ceases to be a person and by doing this the master deprives himself of the recognition of his own freedom which he originally demanded. This freedom is essential for the development of self-consciousness what happens is that here the master becomes dependent on the slave for asserting his selfhood that is quite paradoxical on the one hand you need others to recognize you as a self. So, that your assertion of selfhood is meaningful on the other hand again your master becomes dependent on the slave for asserting his selfhood. The paradox of enslaving the other is in order to asserts one's freedom one enslaves another person and then becomes dependent on that slave. So, you ultimately become the slave of your slave then a slave on the other hand frees himself through labor which transforms material things. So, he does things in nature he makes it transforms nature for the sake of his master he starts doing it, but through his labor he liberates himself. So, every master slave relationship is bound to be counter predictive. Now, in this context Hegel talks about the other stage the ultimate stage where reason the finite subject rises to universal self-consciousness realization that we are all manifestation of the universal spirit. So, here instead of being in a world where you exist as a subject without any critical awareness of your status just having self-certainty you have progressed to the next stage or you have evolved to the next stage of self-consciousness where you realize that there are other selves who actually posit a threat to your own self-hood. And that insecurity of being among other self-hoods who are different from you who are positing a threat to your own self-hood and your constant you know struggle to enslave them which is ultimately proving to be counter predictive you reach a third stage or you rather rise to a third stage you evolve to a third stage of reason where you realize that you as well as others are all manifestations of the universal self universal mind universal spirit. So, it is not the one-sided awareness of oneself as an individual subject threatened by and in conflict with other self-conscious beings it is a full recognition of self-hood in oneself and in others. So, we all realize we are all manifestations of that universal mind once that realization arrives the confrontation becomes what meaningless then there is no confrontation. So, reason takes us to that domain a synthesis of the first two stages of consciousness and self-consciousness. Consciousness is where subject is aware of the sensible object as something external and heterogeneous to itself self-consciousness is subject's attention is turned back on itself as a finite self and reason is where it sees everything as the objective expression of infinite spirit with which it is itself united. We will conclude our discussion on Hegelian philosophy at this point where Hegel as we have seen there are three things very important about Hegel one is that his conception of reality he never conceives reality as independent of the subject or the novel of reality. So, there is no epistemological strict epistemological split between subject and object which is so cardinal for enlightenment philosophy. Number two same rational forms that constitute reality are constitutive of the human thought as well. So, in one sense the human thought can understand can comprehend reality because they share the same universal rational forms. And the third important point is reality is the absolute which encompasses everything. And Hegel talks about a method by means of which this reality can be comprehended the dialectical method where you have to contradict yourself allow contradictions to happen and then resolve them and ultimately synthesize them that is the method he is suggest and he explains the process for him it is a historical process it is an evolution in which the from the level of consciousness of bare awareness bare static certainty, sense certainty you reach the second stage of self consciousness where you encounter and confront other selves to the third stage where you realize and experience that unity in you and everything is part of that universal ultimate absolute reality. So, this is in summary the Hegelian philosophy and the Hegelian system and Hegel is a very important thing are we will examine the influence of Hegel in the next lecture as well where we will be discussing the contributions of Karl Marx the division between left Hegelians and others. So, Marx and others develop a philosophy a materialistic philosophy out of Hegelian idealism which is a objective idealism of Hegel and then again even in contemporary philosophy we can see the tremendous influence of Hegelian philosophy. So, we will conclude our discussion on the contributions of this most important thinker of modern period. Thank you.