Abstract:
This thesis poses two fundamental issues regarding Hegel's philosophy of
intersubjectivity. Firstly, it examines Kojeve's problematic interpretation of
Hegelian intersubjectivity as being solely rooted in the dialectic of lordship
and bondage. It is my contention that Kojeve conflates the concepts of
recognition {Anerkennung) with that of desire (Begierde), thereby reducing
Hegel's philosophy of intersubjectivity to a violent reduction of the other to
the same. This is so despite the plenary of examples Hegel uses to define
intersubjectivity as the mutual (reciprocal) recognition between the self and
the other. Secondly, it examines Hegel's use of Sophocles' Antigone to
demonstrate the notion of the individual par excellence. I contend that
Hegel's use of Antigone opens a new methodological framework through
which to view his philosophy of intersubjectivity. It is Antigone that
demonstrates the upheaval of an economy of exchange between the self and
the other, whereby the alterity of the other transcends the self Ultimately,
Hegel's philosophy of intersubjectivity must be reexamined, not only to
dismiss Kojeve's problematic interpretation, but also to pose the possibility
that Hegel's philosophy of intersubjectivity can viably account for a
philosophy of the other that has a voice in contemporary philosophical
debate.
