Rae, Gavin (2010) Hegel, Sartre, & the ontological structure of consciousness. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This thesis provides a comparative analysis of the different ways Hegel and Sartre
understand that consciousness can be alienated. Because understanding the various ways Hegel
and Sartre hold that consciousness can be alienated is not possible without first understanding
what each thinker understands by consciousness, I first identify and outline the different ways
Hegel and Sartre conceptualise consciousness’s ontological structure before identifying the
various ways each thinker understands that consciousness can be alienated. The general
argument developed shows that while Hegel and Sartre agree that alienation is a constitutive
aspect of consciousness’s existence and are, therefore, allies in the battle against it, Sartre’s
analysis of consciousness’s ontological structure is unable to provide the same depth of analysis
as Hegel’s. Put differently, I believe it is Hegel’s analysis of consciousness’s ontological
structure that provides an analysis of alienation that is more nuanced, subtle, complex, and
multi-dimensional than the account Sartre’s provides. To support my argument, I first explore
Sartre’s understanding of consciousness’s ontological structure. This discloses that, because
Sartre defines consciousness as ontologically nothing, he holds that consciousness is defined in
strict ontological opposition to objectivity. Consciousness’s ontological nothingness leads Sartre
to hold that consciousness is free to choose its mode of being. This leads me to identify what
Sartre holds to be constitutive of authentic and inauthentic modes of being. But while Sartre
distinguishes between the ontological structure of consciousness and its experiences, I argue
that Hegel: 1) does not introduce a distinction between consciousness’s ontological structure
and its mode of being, but holds that consciousness’s self-understanding and ontological
structure develop through its experiences; and 2) holds that consciousness is not ontologically
opposed to objectivity, but is a spiritual synthesis of subjectivity and objectivity. I show that
because Hegel holds that consciousness’s intentional object is an aspect of its ontological
structure, rather than something simply opposed to itself, and because he recognises that
consciousness must learn what it is ontologically by experiencing numerous different relations
with its object, he is able to show that while the subject/object binary opposition of Sartre’s
analysis of consciousness’s ontological structure describes one potential ontological relation
consciousness can have to its object, it is not the only one. Indeed, Hegel’s analysis of
consciousness’s ontological structure insists that consciousness will only truly understand its
ontological structure if it learns to not think of itself in terms of the subject/object dichotomy
and, instead, realises that it is a spiritual synthesis of subjectivity and objectivity. To show how
this fundamental difference manifests itself throughout their thought, I identify and compare
what each thinker’s understanding of consciousness’s ontological structure means in terms of
consciousness’s relation to the world, alienation, authenticity, ethics, self-transformation, and
social relations.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Alternative Title:	Hegel, Sartre, and the ontological structure of consciousness
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General) B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 1770-1831 -- Criticism and interpretation, Satre, Jean-Paul -- Criticism and interpretation, Consciousness, Alienation (Philosophy)
Official Date:	2010
Dates:	Date Event 2010 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Philosophy
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Houlgate, Stephen ; Poellner, Peter
Extent:	212 leaves
Language:	eng
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/3782

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