Hegel, Master and Slave dialectic

• The one is independent , and its essential nature is to be for itself; the other is dependent, and its essence is life of existence for another
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein provides important philosophic insight into the nature of slavery. Under this reading, the text is viewed primarily as a critique of European imperialism that exploited and thrived on slavery
• Frankenstein was published in 1818 during the heyday of the British anti-slavery movement, after the abolition of slaver in 1807 but before the emancipation of slaves in England in 1833.
• What are the three key components of Hegel's dialectic?

  Thesis, antithesis, and synthesis
• In Hegel's dialectic, what does the antithesis represent?

  An opposing proposition or negation
• According to Hegel, what does the synthesis involve?

  Casting off and retaining parts of thesis/antithesis
• What happens to the newly synthesized proposition in Hegel's dialectic?

  It rises up and transcends
• According to Hegel, what is the ultimate goal of the dialectical process?

  A state of unified self-consciousness or Apirit
• In the context of slavery, what does Hegel's dialectic explore?

  The struggle between master and slave
• According to Hegel, what enables the slave in the master-slave dialectic?

  The threat of death
• What does the slave experience when forced to manipulate nature?

  Creativity
• What is the initial state of the master and slave in Hegel's dialectic?

  Master self-sufficient/free, slave dependent
• According to Hegel, what does the master experience in the master-slave dialectic?

  Stagnation living off the work of the slave
• What is the slave's creativity linked to, according to Hegel?

  Closeness to the Spirit, or wisdom
• What contributes to the slave becoming independent in Hegel's dialectic?

  His struggle under threat of death
• What is the end result of the master-slave dialectic, according to Hegel?

  Recognition of interdependence
• In Hegel's dialectic, what is meant by the "negation of the negation?"

  Transformation through synthesis
• Hegel’s dialectic: the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis.

  According to Hegel, for every posited thesis, there will be an antithesis, viz. an

  opposing proposition or negation. This negation of the negation brings about

  the synthesis, involving both a casting off and a retaining of parts of the thesis

  and antithesis. The newly synthesised proposition rises up or transcends to the

  next level. This dynamic then continues until it reaches an end or goal, which

  according to Hegel is a state of unified self-consciousness or Spirit.
• As a philosophic exposition on the dynamics of slavery, Hegel’s dialectic involves

  the struggle between master and slave where the former enslaves the latter

  upon threat of death. Initially, the master is self-sufficient and free, the slave

  dependent. However, when forced to manipulate nature (for Hegel, specifically agriculture—Creature) to create goods for the master, the slave experiences creativity while the master conversely “experiences stagnation living off the work of the slave”
• Through the slave’s creativity, his closeness to the Spirit, or wisdom,

  as well as his struggle under threat of death, the slave becomes independent

  while the master, defined only through the work of his slave, becomes dependent. The end-result of the process is the recognition (Anerkennung) between master and slave of interdependence between the two.
• The text initially presents VF as an impressive heir-apparent to the role of “master” in the master-space relationship. Victor is a member of master class, the son of well-respected aristocrat whose family is “one of the most distinguished of that [Genevese] republic. The text emphasises Victor as a representative of the power and

  wealth of the social elite, from which the societal masters in the master-slave relationship come.
• By demonstrating Victor’s early addiction to alchemy as well as

  his struggle with autonomy from his father, the text foreshadows his future

  enslavement in terms of Hegel’s master-slave dialectic
• Be referring to the daemon as “it” or “thing”, the text relegates the daemon to the status or an object.
• Victor’s failure to recognize the daemon commences the objectification necessary for him to dominate the daemon. Abhorring the daemon “thing” immediately after its creation, Victor alienates the daemon by fleeing from his

  presence: “the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room” [11, p. 34]. Not only does Victor fail to establish recognition

  of his creation, Victor’s emotional and physical condition deteriorates as a result of creating the daemon: “When I thought of him, [the monster] I gnashed my teeth, my eyes became inflamed” [11, p. 60]. The words “gnashed” and “inflamed” suggest torment and degradation, conditions not unlike those experienced by toiling slaves. By portraying Victor in slave-like terms in relation to

  the daemon, the text presages Victor’s enslavement to the daemon
• Victor is burdened by falsity and precluded from spiritual progression. By indecently causing the murder of his loved ones through the creation of the monster, Victor suffers from guilt, another potent from of enslavement
• Master ship actually burdens and degrades rather than frees and uplifts
• While Victor‘s freedom derives from asserting societal class distinctions such as wealth and social status, the daemon’s freedom derives from his association with nature.  Experiencing nature, free from the superficiality and artifice of society, the daemon exclaims,

  “My spirits were elevated by the enchanting appearance of nature; the past was blotted from my memory, the present was tranquil, and the future gilded by bright rays of hope, and anticipation of joy” [11, p. 77]. According to scholars of Hegel, nature is the foundation upon which the synthesis occurs: “absolute Spirit reveals itself at the level of nature” [4, p. 40]. Not surprisingly, in the text the daemon thrives in and is enabled by nature. In nature the monster is able to blot out the cruel and horrific memories of society, which allows him to live with freedom of conscience, another form of freedom that Victor, the master, is unable to attain.
• Victor’s emotional and physical condition deteriorates A a result of creating the daemon