Hegel on Art - A Deep Dive Conversation

A Deep Dive conversation about Hegel's philosophy of Art in his Encyclopedia. I. Hegel: Art as a Manifestation of Absolute Spirit   A. Core Idea: Art is a form of consciousness of the Absolute Spirit, but one limited by its sensuous form.Hegel situates art within his larger philosophical system, as a stage in the development of Absolute Spirit, alongside Religion and Philosophy. Art is an attempt to make the Absolute Spirit manifest, but it is necessarily limited by its reliance on “sensuous externality”. "The subjective and the objective spirit are to be looked on as the road on which this aspect of reality or existence rises to maturity.”   B. Art's Limitations: Because art employs sensuous materials, the divine spirit cannot be fully expressed, resulting in polytheism. Art is "a limited natural spirit whose implicit universality… breaks up into an indeterminate polytheism”.  The "unity of nature and spirit” in art is an immediate one, not the “spiritual unity” of philosophy where the natural is completely superseded. The ethical awareness in art’s community is limited by “immediacy” and lacks infinite self-reflection.  C. The Role of Beauty: Beauty is the concrete shape or form of the Ideal, where natural immediacy is transfigured by spirit to express the Idea. Art takes “given forms of nature” and imbues them with spiritual significance; a form of “characteristic” expression. The human form is considered the highest form due to its capacity to express spirit.  D. Key Quotes: “The absolute mind…is always also identity returning and ever returned into itself: if it is the one and universal substance it is so as a spirit, discerning itself into a self and a consciousness, for which it is as substance.”“The sensuous externality attaching to the beautiful…at the same time qualifies what it embodies.”“In such single shapes the ‘absolute’ mind cannot be made explicit”.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-philosophy-channel--4573240/support."Dare to use your own reason" - Immanuel Kant