Hegel's Penomenology of Spirit:
107.
ARGUMENT:
in this pointing-out we see a movement that takes the following course:
(1) I point out the 'Now' asserted as a truth - however it is something that has been - I
set it aside
(2) I now assert the second truth that it has been
(3) but what has been is not - I set aside the second truth - thereby negate the negation
of the 'Now' - and thus back to the first assertion - 'Now is'
the 'Now' and the pointing out the 'Now' - are neither immediate and simple - but a
movement that contains movements
the now is thus a plurality of nows
the now is a universal
COMMENTARY:
Hegel's universal is the solution to his problem of 'now'
the problem basically is that the immediate - cannot be maintained in reflection
any reflective reference to the now - can only be a reference to what is not now
the 'integrity of now' is lost in any description of it
Hegel does not want to say - therefore the now cannot be described - cannot be stated
for in his view this would ultimately lead to putting it in doubt -
Hegel wishes to avoid this skepticism
his answer is to say in fact the now is every now - that it is the universal
the cost of this move is that the immediate is lost
you could say time is lost
and in its place is a conception - an idea
the argument is OK
the problem though - is just that it doesn't solve the problem - it masks it
we can ask this question -
what is the status of the universal - in terms of time - in terms of the question of
immediacy?
if any assertion of now - is an assertion of the universal -
when I assert the universal - which universal is being asserted?
when I point to the universal what have I pointed to?
is it not the case that the universal I point out 'has been'?
OK - if not -
where is the universal in time?
if not in time - where's time?
and what relevance does the universal have to it?
the issue only gets to this if it is assumed that the term 'now' actually refers -
Hegel's analysis actually shows that it doesn't
but he doesn't want to accept this conclusion
his idea is that now is not a particular moment - but rather every moment
to go down this path renders real experience illusory and language meaningless
