Summer 2011 / Lacan Salon Reading Group
Introduction to the Reading of Hegel Lectures on the Phenomenology of Spirit by Alexandre Kojeve
Man is Self-Consciousness. He is conscious of himself, conscious of his human reality and dignity; and it is in this that he is essentially different from animals, which do not go beyond the level of simple Sentiment of Self. Man becomes conscious of himself at the moment when – for the “first” time – he says “I”. To understand man by understanding his “origin” is, therefore, to understand the origin of the I revealed by speech. (First paragraph of the Book)
During the years 1933-1939 Alexandre Kojeve gave a series of lectures on the philosophy of Hegel as it was developed in The Phenomenology of Spirit. Attended by Raymond Queneau, Georges Bataille, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, André Breton, Jacques Lacan and Raymond Aron, these lectures form one of the corner stones of French intellectual thought for the latter half of the twentieth century.
Meetings will take place weekly, Tuesday Evenings (7-9), at Access Gallery (437 West Hastings). As with the Salon, we will ask for a $2 contribution to help support the organization lending us their space. Hope to see you there!!
July 5
Editors Introduction (vii-xii); Chapter 1 – In place of an introduction (pg. 3-30)
July 12
Summary of the First 6 Chapters of the Phenomenology of Spirit (pg. 31-50)
July 19
Summary of the First 6 Chapters of the Phenomenology of Spirit continued(pg. 50-71)
July 26
Summary of the Course in 1937-1938 (pg. 71-75); Philosophy and Wisdom (pg. pg. 75-100)
August 2
A Note on Eternity, Time, and the Concept (pg. 100-125)
August 9
A Note on Eternity, Time, and the Concept continued (pg. 125-150)
August 16
Interpretation of the Third Part of Chapter VIII of the Phenomenology of Spirit (conclusion) (pg. 150-169)
August 23
The Dialectic of the Real and the Phenomenological Method in Hegel (pg. 169-200)
August 30
The Dialectic of the Real and the Phenomenological Method in Hegel continued (pg. 200- …)
