Phenomenology of Spirit

“Absolute knowing” is a core concept of Hegel’s work that refers to a form of comprehensive understanding. Absolute knowing transcends fragmented knowledge and focuses on unifying experience with the external. It occurs when the knower and the knowledge become unified through the dialectical method. This constitutes the totality of reality. Absolute knowing is not a fixed concept; instead, it emphasizes the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of human experience and truth. Hegel sees truth as a flower bud that develops petals and slowly opens over time.

One traditional interpretation of Hegel’s work distills the dialectical method into a “thesis-antithesis-synthesis” model, although it is important to note that this idea first originated with Johann Gottlieb Fichte. Antithesis is the second stage of the dialectical method, focusing on negation and preservation.

Hegel uses the term aufheben to refer to sublation, the second component of the dialectical method. Concepts pass over one another, revealing their negations and preserving their similarities. Another term for this is “antithesis,” although the triadic form of thesis-antithesis-synthesis is widely debated among Hegel scholars.