One of the excerpts that we will be reading this week is the “Introduction to the Reading of Hegel,” written by Alexandre Kojeve. This excerpt looks at and analyzes the philosophy of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, who was a German philosopher in the 19th century. One of Hegel’s most notable philosophies is the Master / slave dialect. This dialect, as described in the reading, looks at the idea of having two self-consciousnesses and how they interact with each other. The struggle between the two is built on the fact that each must see the other not as a threat to itself. Hegel describes this relationship as similar to the relationship between a master and its slave, thus making the Master / slave dialect.
Between a master and a slave, they are in a relationship where they are both dependent on each other; the master has the power of its slave, yet only has that power if the slave recognizes to themselves that they are powerless to their master. In an article written by Andrew Cole apart of the Duke University Press, he has an alternative way to describe the relationship “The truth of the master reveals that he is the slave and that the slave is revealed to be the master of the master” (Cole 579). The overarching idea of the Master / slave dialect is that both, self-conscious or master/slave are dependent on each other whether that is how it was originally intended to be.
To look at this Master / slave dialect on a much larger scale, it can be seen prevalent in today’s society through capitalism. Capitalism is the “economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state” (Oxford Languages). The social relationship of Capitalism consists of wage laborers and capitalists. Capitalists seem to be in the dominant position due to the fact that they control the wage laborer’s work and pay. However, if you cut the jobs of workers, or lower their pay, then those workers lose their ability to buy the capitalist’s product. This contradiction of relationships is what Hegel’s refers to as the Master / slave dialect; the relationship between two parties that rely on each other for the good of their own.
Other articles to check out:
https://dissident.blog/2017/06/23/capitalisms-masterslave-relationship-and-hegels-dialectic/
Works Cited:
Cole, Andrew. “What Hegel’s Master/Slave Dialect Really Means.” Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Volume 34, Number 3, Fall 2004. Duke University Press. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/174870/pdf.
Feilmeier, J.D. “Hegel’s Master-Slave Dialect: the search for self-consciousness.” Central College. Accessed Aug 27, 2021. https://central.edu/writing-anthology/2019/07/08/hegels-master-slave-dialectic-the-search-for-self-consciousness/#:~:text=Hegel’s%20Master%2DSlave%20dialectic%20tells,life%2Dand%2Ddeath%20struggle.&text=Self%2Dconsciousness%20indicates%20that%20an,the%20only%20point%20of%20view.
Something that changed my understanding of the reading was when you said, “the master only has the power if the slave recognizes to themselves that they are powerless…” This made me realize that it can apply to many aspects in life. Whether it is a person having power over you or it is a fear of yours holding you back from doing something you’ve always wanted to try, it only has power over you if you let it. You should be the only master in your life.
I love this excerpt and how you made very valid and well-explained points about it. This includes the statement you incorporated that says “the truth of the master reveals that he is the slave and that the slave is revealed to be the master of the master.” You made me realize just how true this is and how we can apply it to our own lives. We all depend on each other no matter the scenario or the person. Even those with the most power in the world would not be there and cannot have that much power without everyone else or even those with little to nothing.
I think you did a great job bridging the gap between the beginning reading of self-consciousness, building in to the concept of the master slave dialect. Thank you as this really helped me to understand the connection between the two difficult concepts.
I think the example of Capitalism is a great response to the master slave dialect. Although the the workers are slave to their capitalist masters, the capitalists are slave to what they provide their workers. If either the workers aren’t paid enough or the prices set by the capitalist are too high, they must be adjusted so the workers can afford to live. Otherwise the workers will go find a new master, who will pay them better and make them able to live. Thus leaving their old master without power, residing the true power in the slaves.
Something I had never really noticed before was the situation of power in the master/slave situation as well as the capitalism scenario. Although I am having a hard time connecting those two examples to the concept of having two self-consciousnesses because in the example relationships if there is a fallout between them (the slave and the slave owner, the consumer and the purchaser) then the one who was perceived to have less power actually finds themselves to have more. Except what happens if the dynamic falls through between the two consciousnesses? Are there some harsh mental health effects, does it cause one to disassociate? I am very curious about the effects on humans when this relationship between the two self-consciousnesses fails! –Chris Burkhart
Your presentation was very well put together, it really helped to concisely explain how the master slave dialectic functions. Using capitalism also helped to better cement my understanding of the text as a whole. In capitalism the people at the top or the capitalists want to make the most profit for the least expenses, so it is advantageous for them to cut corners. Like in Hagel’s master slave dialectic the goal of these capitalists is to break a worker’s autonomy without dehumanizing them. This comes in the form of their wages like you said. Their wages effectively make them reliant on the people in a dominant position of power. Since this dynamic is prone to shifting laborers have the opportunity to seize power through unionizing or protesting. Pointing out the reliance of each party within capitalism was the perfect example.
While this excerpt may have been hard to comprehend and follow, I firmly believe you did a fantastic job using different sources to describe the true meaning of the overall message. I found your comparison to capitalism intriguing because I would have never thought about that. The very last sentence is what made the Master/slave dialect become full circle for myself. Quote, “…the relationship between two parties that rely on each other for the good of their own.” Furthermore, I realized that todays society is not much different then it was back then, which can be a scary thought. Overall, thank you for helping me understand the idea of having two self-consciousnesses and how they interact with each other. Many of our classmates will be able to gain knowledge from this post, which will then allow them to think of other examples that directly relate to this excerpt.
I found it to be extremely helpful in including the comparison between Capitalism and what Hegel refers to as the Master / slave dialect. It lead me to the conclusion that this relationship, where they are both dependent on one another, is used in many other scenarios throughout ones lifetime. One simple example that first comes to mind is mutualism. Mutualism occurs when there is a dependent symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit. No matter if they are simple or complex, this sort of relationship occurs frequently whether you pay attention to it or not. I enjoyed reading what you wrote!
I really enjoyed reading your presentation! It was much easier to follow than the actual text, and I really like how you highlighted the dependency in the Slave/Master dialect. I did not think if it that way before.
I also thought the capitalism example of this dialect was a great representation of the excerpt. The way it appears that all the power is in the hands of the Capitalists is the same as Hegel’s example because that is how he views the Masters to be. The Slaves, presumably powerless, are responsible for working for the Masters and fulfilling their desires. However, when the Masters begin to treat the Slaves poorly (just as the Capitalists treat their workers poorly), the Slaves have the power to revolt and leave the Masters powerless, just as it is so in a capitalist society.
Great job!
This was wonderfully put together and exactly the kind of summarization needed to express Hegel’s method of thinking. In all honesty, I was struggling to grasp Hegel’s concept completely as it is a battle among one’s self-consciousness, not two separate individuals. I loved your explanation as you claimed that they can’t see each other as a threat, but instead, they know their standards while still depending on each other.
Very impressive approach by bringing today’s society into such a dated discussion. After taking a deeper look at the recommended article by Wes Fornes, it exemplified how consuming and related capitalism aligns with Hegel’s views. Specifically, his remark that even if capitalists take advantage of their workers, the workers in return can go on strike. It’s a painful cycle.
Your approach to this peice was very well put together. You were able to put together very complex ideas. What really changed my thinking was the statement “the master has the power of its slave, yet only has that power if the slave recognizes to themselves that they are powerless to their master”. The dynamics of this relationship truly apply in about every facet of life to this day. I did enjoy the way you bridged this idea to capitalism in today’s society. Another example could be between a sports team owner and the athletes. In a realtionship where one party seems to have all the power, that power is only a reflection of what the athlete (slave) can produce.
Your interpretation of Hegel’s philosophy concerning the internal turmoil between consciousness and the sense of self is well thought out. The reading does not explicitly define a subject, but the principle, of an abuser/master in power that holds domain over a person/group and exploits them is held constant. I connected the reading to your comparison about capitalism and thought there was some great merit in that.
The analogy of capitalism compared to slavery is a bit dicey to interpret, however can share some of the ideas of a power struggle. . There exits a power struggle amongst workers and employees but slave labor is different. in a capitalist society wage laborers replaced slave labor. Wage laborers have the choice and free will to choose the job of their liking while slavery had entirely different social and technical aspects of production that truly kept them in a cycle of master/cycle turmoil.
The way you put the presentation was well thought-out. The master slave dialect was not an easy dialect to read, but this was a great synopsis of it. Masters are only powerful when they have the slaves to follow and obey them. Slaves will have to recognize they can not do anything toward the master for the relationship to work. The moment one side breaks this balance, that is when things will start to fall apart for both sides as they need each other. Adding in the capitalism aspect was a good analogy to break down this concept and show it in a different way. It’s also eye-opening how this “master-slave” idea is applied so much, even in our daily lives.
I think this idea is really important in our society today. Decades ago this idea of the slave and the master or the one and the other was studied and understood yet it didn’t seem like anyone wanted to change this dynamic. In today’s society, we are finally seeing an uprise against men being “superior”, such as higher pay or more job opportunities, kinda a different branch of your idea of capitalism. Racial inequality as well, has been sadly embedded in our society for years, and people are finnally standing up for tem selves and whats right. Understanding this idea helps and leads the way to change this unfair dynamic in society.
I think it’s very important too! It really reminded me of capitalism and racial inequality nowadays. I had a hard time reading it too but I think it helped being able to relate in certain ways to make it make more sense. Not relate in ways of myself but in ways of society. The master having power only if the slave allows it also opened my eyes a lot because that’s in our everyday life too. Someone can only have the power you allow them to have over you, even though it was a lot different then.
I really enjoyed reading you presentation. I think something that I never fully thought about was that you could compare or show an example through our capitalistic society today. This goes along with your quote of Andre Cole about “The truth of the master reveals he is the slave…”, makes you wonder how far we have actually really come over the years. Even with that quote, the elite few who are in a dominate position still need to be checked by laws that we are establishing today or not so long ago. Whether it be equal pay or unions to support the workers. It just really makes you think, and this presentation has done that even before I have read the passage yet, so thank you for this.
I think that you did an excellent job creating a bigger picture. That was one thing I definitely struggled with during the reading; connecting it to society now. Why it matters now, I suppose. So, your paragraph on capitalism absolutely changed my understanding of the reading. Especially the emphasis on the reliance that the Master/Slave have on one another It’s clear now just how applicable that is in so many aspects of society. Even with capitalism, in the end, it’s just a cycle where the Slave fights thus forcing the Master to lose power or the Master succeeds and the Slave has to bear the ramifications of a life built solely around dependence.
I think you did a great job of explaining the passage. The reading itself was a little confusing but you really explained the big picture in a very clear way. I liked that you made the connection between the master/slave dialect and capitalism. By just reading the passage I did not make that connection but it gave me a better understanding of this happening in todays society. The analogy really shows how relevant the master / slave dynamic within all fields of life.
I think you did a great job with this summary of Hegels thinking. Your analogy’s really helped me to understand this thinking. Your description really helped me to grasp the relationship between a master and a slave and relate that to Hegels thinking. Your comparison to capitalism really showed me how this thinking can be applied to many different aspects of life. This sort of reminds me of the relationship between a coach and a player in sports. These two people have to rely on each other for success even though the coach has all the power in the relationship. This relates to your quote “Between a master and a slave, they are in a relationship where they are both dependent on each other; the master has the power of its slave, yet only has that power if the slave recognizes to themselves that they are powerless to their master.” This quote to me is the central idea of this whole post and was what really changed my understanding of the reading. This deepened my understanding of this relationship and helped me to relate it to other aspects of society.
Great analysis! I really like how you portrayed this idea of both the master and the slave being dependent on each other and how they have specific roles to make their relationship work. One quote that you included that really caught my attention and made me think was, “The truth of the master reveals that he is the slave and that the slave is revealed to be the master of the master” (Cole 579). At first glance this quote can sound very confusing but when you dissect this quote and think about it there is a much deeper meaning. This goes back to the idea of relationships not working if each person in the relationship doesn’t do their role. Even when it comes to slaves and masters it is a necessity that everyone follows their role, or the relationship cannot be successful. This really made me think and realize that this is the case in any relationship between two individuals and just because one individual has more power in the relationship doesn’t mean that they have all the power.
I think you did a great job on comparing master-slave dialect to today’s society through capitalism. It shows that we can compare this to real life examples seen in today’s society. Along with reading what you said I also comprehended the same information in the section talking about master-slave dialect. How the slave feels that he is dependent on the master for life.
I really enjoyed how you compared the master-slave dialect utilizing a major example in society. It is interesting to think about the various ways that this relationship is expressed within our daily lives. I have never looked at things from this perspective and it definitely opened my eyes to situations like this. I think that you comparing the master-slave dialect to Capitalism was a brilliant idea. The codependence within the system is something that I never viewed as deeply until now. Understanding these relationships of codependence almost gives the, “underdog” an advantage and opportunity to stand up for themselves with this leverage.
Hello!
I want to start off by saying that I really enjoyed reading your Context Presentation! I think you really executed this assignment extremely well and you bring up some very strong and valid ideas! I myself found the readings for this week to be extremely difficult and I must say after reading your context presentation, it really did help me get a better understanding of different ways that I can interrupt these readings. You make a really strong point in your presentation when you say “between a master and a slave, they are in a relationship where they are both dependent on each other; the master has the power of its slave, yet only has that power if the slave recognizes to themselves that they are powerless to their master”. This point you made was VERY eyeopening to me! I really absorbed this point and understood how true it is. What really clicked with me was when you mention that in order for the master to have power the slave must first recognize themselves as powerless. I believe that this is actually the first step in everything, if there is no personal recognition with the slave itself there is absolutely no power for a master to hold over another. You also made me realize how intersectional the whole dialect really is when applying it to real life scenarios. You mention capitalism being a big one and I absolutely agree with this. I will add that it can even go as far as intersecting with women rights, inequality, white privilege, financial status and more. These issues all face and extreme power dynamic held over the problem itself, which directly relates to the idea of a Master and Slave.
This context presentation was very well written considering the difficulty of Alexandre Kojeve’s passage. Your explanations of Kojeve’s Master-slave dialect helped me have a better understanding of the concept and how they are both dependent on each other. Also, I really like how you compared this to capitalism as I had also thought of this during the reading. When talking about work as a repressed Desire, Kojeve wrote, “He postpones the destruction of the thing by first trans-forming it through work; he prepares it for consumption—that is to say, he ‘forms’ it” (Kojeve 25). This line was one of the many that reminded me of the social relationship of Capitalism that you had mentioned; where both parties (the Slave and the Master) are dependent on each other for their own benefit. This concept is extremely relevant to our society today, and your presentation does a great job showing that.
I really like your tidy statement on the relationship between the master and the slave that “the master has the power of its slave, yet only has that power if the slave recognizes to themselves that they are powerless to their master.” This actually reflects that the self-conscious is essentially based on mutual recognition which allows us to realize the existence of our spirit. However, the example between the capitalist and labors is not appropriate in my idea. The important point that the master-slave relationship shows is that mutual recognition instead of relying on good of each others. This process is decided by the property of self-conscious instead of the motivation for good of people.
I really like your tidy statement on the relationship between the master and the slave that “the master has the power of its slave, yet only has that power if the slave recognizes to themselves that they are powerless to their master.” This actually reflects that the self-conscious is essentially based on mutual recognition which allows us to realize the existence of our spirit. However, the example between the capitalist and labors is not appropriate in my idea. The important point that the master-slave relationship shows is that mutual recognition instead of relying on good of each others. This process is decided by the property of self-conscious instead of the motivation for good of people.
I thought that you describe the relationship between slave and master was well thought out. It was interesting to look at it in a way that they are interdependent of each other. Capitalism was a great example of this relationship on a larger scale because it shows that this dynamic is still relevant today. I feel as if most people think of the slave master relationship in a quite literal way, not realizing that it could be as simple as a wage laborers and capitalists. Well done to explain the relationship as it relates to today’s society.
Great work on your presentation. You made it easier to relate to by including capitalism as an example. Even though there is a clear difference between a master and a slave there will always be times that the slave has a little more power than the other. This relationship is like a two way street, one has to accept the other’s position for it to become Master-Slave and they should also realize that irrespective of their social status or the power that they hold they will always be a situation where they need to help each.
The statement, “The truth of the master reveals that he is the slave and that the slave is revealed to be the master of the master” (Cole 579) that you have mentioned was interesting and made me realize the fact that Masters and Slaves are dependent on each other.
I loved you comparison of the master and slave dialect, describing on how they’re both dependent on each other for power recognition. The description of both wage laborers and capitalists is such a though-provoking example of how applicable Hegel’s thoughts are to even present-day issues. In fact, it makes me wonder how labor unions may disrupt the power stance between the master and slave. Would the creation of these unions establish employees as the new master? Great job on your context presentation, you really helped me understand Hegel’s work in a newfound light.
This context presentation was very insightful and well written. A key portion is recognition that the the Master needs the Slave’s recognition of the Master being the Master in order to remain the Master. I appreciated the quote about this topic because I feel it helped me understand this complex topic. I also appreciated the comparison between capitalism and the master-slave dialect. I was only thinking of this relationship between people so this expanded my understanding of what this relationship could include.
In my opinion, I think your presentation is well-organized and insightful. I really enjoyed the part that your expand the Master-Slave dialect to nowdays’ debate on the system of capitalism. Hegel says that the Master ususally has human desire for the object and enjoy this recognition. But the question is the Master does not actually work on it. Capitalism also build of the base of workers and employers, it is qute similar to the relationship between the Master and the Slave. This system started on the exploitation of the employees in exchange of exployers’ huge profits. This comparison is extremely intriguing for me.
First, the presentation is well organized and the language is clear. I love how you introduce the Master/slave dialect, and then you analyze that their relationship relies on each other to survive, and you gave a great example about capitalism!
I believe the most remarkable thing about the Master/slave dialect is that in our society, although the slave side has less power, and even the master side has power because the slave side gives them, many of them do not notice it. On the other hand, they cannot change the structure of society even if they want to change, since it is shaped hundreds and thousands of years. For example in Chinese society, parents will tell their children not to be a worker in the future, since they think that the social class is too low. Sometimes workers are discriminated against. But without these workers, who would build the houses built by capitalists?
I believe it’s quite ironic that our society is basically Master/slave dialect, but the master side often discriminated against the slave side; the slave slide often judges the master side of sour grapes.
I feel that you did a great job with this discussion of trying to help others see this message the correct way and the way that you perceived it. I enjoyed the way that you highlighted the Master and the Slave having to work their way up to that in order to have freedom. I’m glad you helped the understanding of wanting it for yourself and wanting to work before you are able to become where you are supposed to be for freedom.
Megan,
Your analysis of this weeks reading is very impressive to me!! Your article was well written and informative. I found your application of the slave/master dialect to capitalism and the working class to be an accurate and insightful connection. I find it very interesting how engrained this concept is into western societies, especially the US. Our country has survived on this kind of relationship since its creation although it is proving to parasitic in many ways, especially ecologically.
Your comparison is also accurate in the sense that the working class or those in the “slave” position have no other choice than to give their power to the “master” for their survival.
Your context presentation was incredibly informative and well thought out. While I found the reading to be a bit challenging, your presentation gave me a clearer understanding. I really like how you compared the master and slave dialect to capitalism. Prior to reading your presentation I was only thinking about this in terms of relationships with others but your example is spot on. I think your quote on how if you cut the workers jobs or lowered their salaries the workers wouldn’t be able to purchase the capitalists products. This example really shows how dependent one another each are.
Just wanted to start off by saying you did a awesome job on this context presentation! I can tell you really payed close attention to the reading and put a lot of thought into the post. I had a struggle reading this but your summary of it was very solid and gave me a clearer view of the passage. Your real world comparison was very interesting and gave me a new perspective.