Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit:
121.
ARGUMENT:
now in perceiving in this way consciousness is also reflected into itself
in perceiving the opposite moment to the Also turns up
this moment is the unity of thing with itself
this unity consciousness takes upon itself
for the thing itself is the subsistence of the many diverse and independent properties
positing a thing's properties as a oneness is the work of consciousness - and therefore
consciousness has to prevent them from collapsing into oneness in the Thing
it introduces the 'in so far' - preserving the properties as mutually external - and the
thing as the Also
the oneness here which was called a property is represented as 'free matter'
the Thing is raised to the level of a genuine Also - since it becomes a collection of
matters - and instead of being One becomes the enclosing surface
COMMENTARY:
firstly -
consciousness reflecting into itself - just is the issue of consciousness -
the fact of it is really not at issue - the question is - what does this mean - what sort of
'thing' reflects into itself -
the reflectivity of consciousness does distinguish it from the non-conscious -
but can we explain it?
can we explain its logic?
in the case of a physical reflection - i.e. - a mirror reflection - the reflection is external
to the thing reflected
what does it mean to reflect into the thing
what is reflected in?
is it consciousness -
or is it an awareness of consciousness?
and how does consciousness 'hold itself'?
and if it does not hold itself in reflection -
can it be said to reflect into itself?
I am hoping Hegel will throw some light on all of this -
just to say consciousness reflects into itself is really where the issue of consciousness
begins -
secondly -
it's clear isn't it that all conscious perception is the perception of a diversity in one -
and indeed a diversity of 'ones'?
this is just what happens in conscious apprehension
and what this diversity in unity leaves us with is uncertainty
and that I would say just is the revelation of consciousness - uncertainty
Hegel's 'free matter' here is simply a tag for the unknown -
and yes the thing is of the surface of the world - it is of the external dimension
consciousness is the inside of the world -
it is internality
and indeed the external world encloses the internal
