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

[Andy Blunden]

Concepts are first of all things which exist; because they 
exist, the mind is capable of grasping them, in fact, they 
are exactly the way the mind grasps the world 
(etymologically concept = to grasp). The way they exist is 
in human activity and the artifacts we use in that activity. 
Since you have made a start on this Greg, I have to say that 
I think you need this and also the section to follow called 
"The Subjective Notion" to get a decent picture.

Andy

------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Blunden
http://home.mira.net/~andy
http://www.brill.com/products/book/origins-collective-decision-making 

On 12/05/2017 1:40 AM, Greg Thompson wrote:
> ​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