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The Phenomenology is considered one of the supremely creative works of Western philosophy. After devoting many hours in trying to parse and grok the text I would say it deserves its reputation. However, I still don’t think the book is worth reading.
Admittedly, Hegel was a great thinker. His elaboration of a system showing the stages of human consciousness as it grows from sense perception to a scientific worldview is highly original. But, as one begins to reflect on his account, there is no evidence, not one argument given to support his theories. There is only one assertion after another.
A careful reading of the title shows exactly what Hegel intended. By phenomenology he means he will describe how consciousness appears to itself as it undergoes this ascension. In other words, there is no grounding for anything Hegel says except the personal inspection of his own mind.
As is obvious, Hegel did have a perspicacious mind. Who else could unite sense perception and reason, substance and accident, potency and act into a comprehensive system illuminating what he means by the Spirit which grounds all reality?
There just is no reason to think that this system is in any way connected to reality. Consistent, coherent and complex as Hegel’s system is, there is really no reason to devote many hours to understanding his philosophy unless one has a particular interest.
Someone once said that what is asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. Never has the phrase had greater applicability than to Hegel. A fortiori is this true of the Phenomenology of Spirit.
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