Description
Book SynopsisReading
The Phenomenology of Spirit through a linguistic lens, Jeffrey Reid provides an original commentary on Hegel's most famous work. Beginning with a close analysis of the preface, where Hegel himself addresses the book's difficulty and explains his tortured language in terms of what he calls the speculative proposition, Reid demonstrates how every form of consciousness discussed in
The Phenomenology involves and reveals itself as a form of language. Elucidating Hegel's speculative proposition, which consists of the reversal of the roles of the
subject and
predicate in such a way that the
copula of the proposition becomes the lively arena of dialogical ambiguity and hermeneutical openness, this book offers new onto-grammatical readings of every chapter of
The Phenomenology. Not only does this bring a new understanding to Hegel's foundational text, but the linguistic approach further allows Reid to unpack its complexity by relating it to
Trade ReviewA refreshing and original reconstruction of Hegel’s
Phenomenology of Spirit in its entirety,
Hegel's Grammatical Ontology mobilizes linguistic tools to offer a new account of the movement from “consciousness” to “absolute knowing” showing how language and its specific forms are constitutively embedded in the progression of the figures of consciousness. * Angelica Nuzzo, Professor of Philosophy Graduate Center and Brooklyn College, CUNY, USA *
Jeffrey Reid's work on the significance of Hegel's linguistic thought for his overall philosophical project has always been cutting edge. In this new work, he zeros in on the role of language in the Jena
Phenomenology of Spirit, both extending his earlier insights and rendering them more explicit and concrete. It represents an important contribution both to current Hegel scholarship as well as to broader contemporary philosophical discussions concerning the relations among philosophy, language, truth, and 'the Real.' * Jere O'Neill Surber, Professor of Philosophy and President of the Hegel Society of America, The University of Denver, USA *
This impressive new book is a rich exploration of the role of language in Hegel’s
Phenomenology. A strikingly original work that is as provocative as it is insightful. Reid's subtle understanding of Hegel’s thought is harnessed masterfully to demonstrate that Spirit has agency in
and as language. * Simon Lumsden, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of New South Wales, Australia *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: Consciousness Chapter 2: Self-Consciousness Chapter 3: Reason Chapter 4: Spirit Chapter 5: Religion Chapter 6: Absolute Spirit
References Index
