In paragraphs eleven through twelve of his preface, Hegel
writes of his time being ripe for a change into a new era, for, as Hegel
explains, it is in the nature of the Geist to continuously progress forward and
separate itself from the world and culture that produced it. The result, or
rather, hopeful expectation is that the new era will have a dramatic
transformation, both intellectually speaking as well as spiritually. Hegel
predicts that this metamorphosis of Geist will be a “product of a widespread
upheaval in various forms of culture, the prize at the end of a complicated,
tortuous path and of just as variegated and strenuous an effort” (7). I find
this to be incredibly interesting due to the connection between Hegel’s descriptions
of the change in his era, and the rise of political and social movements around
the world, specifically the Occupy movement and their causes for their civil
disobedience.
The Occupy movement has been an odd conglomeration of
ideologies and actions, all spurred by social inequalities, corruption of the
United States political system, as well as the influence corporations have in
politics, and the spirit of the movement has been flowing throughout the world,
and it is inspiring individuals who may not even be a part of the movement to
start demanding for change. Hegel’s Geist seems to be transcending over the
movement itself, but will it last for long? The movement itself appears to be
attracting more and more attention every month, yet the demands are for a
dramatic transition that requires more than just marches on Wall Street and
solidarity amongst protestors and sympathizers. I believe that the path that
must be took is going to have to be an even more painful system than is
currently being experienced, for rather than demanding social equality amongst
the social system, Occupy demands a shift of the economic system as well as our
very own political system. Minor changes or even arrests of the corrupt will
not be enough to satisfy the movement, for that is simply too small, and in
America, we tend to like to do things big like our hamburgers.
Things at this point are unknown. While there are those who
will naysay the movement itself or are protesting for the cause, and each are
positive that their side will succeed. But at this point it is necessary to
look through the movement and see past the message and see just what is driving
it. Our Geist is not for science, but for something much greater.
Chris, I think that this is a great post. I would offer that perhaps the occupy movement is a way in which Geist expresses its frustration with the current system. People are sick and tired of being told that they should stop complaining and pick themselves up by their bootstraps.
ReplyDeleteChris, I agree with Ben that this is a great connection! In understanding Geist (as I have come to with supplementary reading) as a consciousness shared by all and a part of Hegel's progression toward helping us understand the Absolute, I think the parallels to the Occupy movement are strong and meaningful. Just as we are moving from thinking of objects as a particular or individual are we are beginning to see conciousness accepting the concept of combining the One and Also, we can thinking of social consciousness changing from self-absorbed and self-indulgent to thinking more about the absolute of humanity and our connectedness. We should ask Noam what he thinks.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Occupy movement will last for as long as is needed to fulfill its purpose. As Ben says, people are frustrated with the current system.We are stuck in a vicious cycle where intense concentrations of money result corporate savages who then push for even more money. These cesspools of elite (constituting less than 1 percent of the population) design the system so as to benefit them alone, and not the people, manipulating the government into carrying out their wishes. They encourage a dispersed society, where people believe that they are alone and have to make money in order to survive, for there is a strength in community that would only be detrimental to the capitalist system. Moreover, there is climate change, and the same corporate savages denying it. The emission results report that came out a few weeks ago apparently reported that emissions are higher than the most disastrous estimations.
ReplyDeleteUnderstandably, people are angry and want change, and they're fighting for it. The movement has even spread as far as South Africa; the discontent is international. I believe that the movement is in its beginning stages, or as Hegel says, the foundations have been laid, "but this new world is no more an actuality than a new-born child" (7). As such, it needs nurturing and attention to reach its full potential.