[Xmca-l] Hegel's notion of The Notion

[Greg Thompson]

​Okay Andy, I've started into the Hegel text that you suggested (I don't
think you truly appreciate how slow of a reader I am! BTW, the text Andy
shared can be found here:
https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/hl/hlnotion.htm),
and I came across this notion of The Notion by Hegel in Section 1279:

"Now although it is true that the Notion is to be regarded, not merely as a
subjective presupposition but as the *absolute foundation*, yet it can be
so only in so far as it has *made* itself the foundation. Abstract
immediacy is no doubt a *first*; yet in so far as it is abstract it is, on
the contrary mediated, and therefore if it is to be grasped in its truth
its foundation must first be sought. Hence this foundation, though indeed
an immediate, must have made itself immediate through the sublation of
mediation."​

This seems core to the kind of realism that Hegel is building up (a realism
of concepts) and, I think, remains a revolutionary conception today. The
idea here seems to be that the Notion is not a "subjective presupposition"
but is rather much more real than that. But, I guess I'm wondering HOW can
this be?

There are multiple objections, but perhaps the biggest objection comes from
20th century social science's preoccupation with social construction. In
this tradition, concepts are things held in the head, subjective and maybe
also intersubjective, but always mediated (and some might say
"derivative"). Hegel seems to be offering a much different take - one in
which concepts are much more primary. Am I right here?

And, what is this business about the "sublation of mediation"? (and where
does this last bit jibe with CHAT? Many people in CHAT speak of mediation
but I don't recall anyone speaking of the "sublation of mediation").

Any help with this text would be appreciated.

(and this is closely related to "the stuff of words" but I still felt that
this needed a new thread.).

-greg

-- 
Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
880 Spencer W. Kimball Tower
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602
http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson