In this blog post, we will explore whether the dialectic system, the core of Hegel’s philosophy, has achieved true synthesis or whether it remains an unfinished philosophical project.
Establishment-Antithesis-Synthesis. These are terms that refer to the logical structure of dialectic. Hegel is the most prominent figure who carried out philosophical arguments based on dialectics. Dialectics is not a parallelism of three categories with equal status, but a structural feature of convergent upwardness in which two opposing categories achieve harmonious unification. This dialectic is not just a method of philosophical argumentation, but it is deeply ingrained in our way of thinking and worldview. For Hegel, dialectic is not only a method of argumentation, but also the very way in which the object of argumentation exists. In other words, since the internal structure of the world’s fundamental order, “ideas,” and the way in which ideas manifest themselves as spatial and temporal reality are dialectical, ideas and reality form a single system, and philosophical arguments that clarify the principles of these two dimensions must also have dialectical systemicity.
Hegel also wants to deal with aesthetics within a thoroughly dialectical system. For him, art, which is the object of aesthetics, is a form of the “Absolute Spirit,” just like religion and philosophy. The Absolute Spirit refers to the realm of the human spirit that recognizes the “ideas,” which are absolute truths. Art, religion, and philosophy have the same content of absolute truth, but they are distinguished according to the difference in the form of recognition. The forms corresponding to the three forms of absolute spirit are intuition, representation, and reasoning. “Intuition” is the intellect that sensuously perceives a given material object, “representation” is the intellect that recalls an image from within regardless of the presence or absence of a material object, and “reasoning” is the pure logical intellect that grasps an object through concepts. Accordingly, the three forms are defined as “intuitive absolute spirit,” “representational absolute spirit,” and “reflective absolute spirit.” According to Hegel, the external nature of intuition and the internal nature of representation are synthesized in reason, and accordingly, the objectivity of art and the subjectivity of religion are synthesized in philosophy.
Due to the differences between the forms, there are significant differences in the level of content recognition. For Hegel, the content of absolute spirit, absolute truth, is essentially logical and rational. Since art intuitively perceives this content, religion represents it, and philosophy thinks about it, there is a hierarchical grading between these three forms. In other words, art is the absolute spirit of the initial stage, religion is the absolute spirit of the growth stage, and philosophy is the absolute spirit of the maturity stage. Accordingly, the absolute spirit in the order of art-religion-philosophy is only philosophy, which is based on the highest intellect, and the only time when art can function as the absolute spirit is in the distant past when the universal intellect of humanity was underdeveloped.
Hegel’s philosophical system is not just a theoretical explanation, but a work of art in its own right. His philosophy provides deep insights into how the human mind pursues and recognizes truth at each stage of art, religion, and philosophy. In particular, the process from art to philosophy reflects the development of the human mind, which is closely related to the development of human history. Hegel understood the development of the human spirit as a historical process, and in this process, each stage evolves in a way that overcomes the limitations of the previous stage and achieves new integration.
The appeal of dialectics lies in “integration.” The category of synthesis must not end with the unilateral victory of one of the two opposing categories, nor must it appear in a neutral state in which the inherent essential definitions of the two categories are extinguished. Synthesis is established by the creation of the highest category, which is qualitatively elevated through the organic harmony of the essential definitions of both. This synthesis is the core of dialectics, which moves to a new stage, and as a result, philosophical thought is constantly developing and deepening. This is precisely the excellence of dialectics that Hegel emphasized. Therefore, wasn’t his philosophical plan to create a rigorous and coherent academic system optimized for the principles of dialectics? However, can his achievements be evaluated as having fulfilled that plan without any flaws? When it comes to aesthetics, the answer is “yes” will not be easy.
The strategy of organizing the forms of intellect in the order of intuition-representation-reason and organizing absolute spirit in the order of art-religion-philosophy seems, on the surface, to be a typical organization according to the dialectic model. However, when looking at the actual content, it is clear that in the process from intuition to reason, the external nature is gradually erased and the internal nature is gradually strengthened and completed, but in the process from art to philosophy, the objective nature is gradually erased and the subjective nature is gradually strengthened and completed, but true dialectical synthesis is not achieved. The essence of the external nature of intuition and the objectivity of art is, above all, sensory perception, and this core element is completely erased in the stage of synthesis that he talks about.
To be faithful to dialectics, Hegel should have added the absolute spirit of the stage where the perfect subjectivity achieved in philosophy is re-objectified. Art is a strong candidate to take the place of “after philosophy.” In fact, many works of art cannot be explained through the medium of “reason.” Moreover, Hegel, who has had more artistic experiences than anyone else, is well aware of this. This is why this discrepancy between method and philosophical system is all the more regrettable. The completion of dialectical synthesis is not the end of philosophical thought, but can only be achieved in a new, integrative stage that follows.
Therefore, Hegel’s system remains unfinished, and scholars of the later generations who inherit his philosophy must constantly expand dialectical thinking to solve this unfinished task. Achieving a complete synthesis of absolute spirit through the interaction of art, religion, and philosophy is still an ongoing philosophical task. In this process, we need to go beyond the framework of dialectical reasoning proposed by Hegel and attempt new insights and syntheses. Such attempts will not only lead to philosophical progress but also enable us to gain a deeper understanding of our lives and the world.
