The Phenomenology of Spirit as a model for the interpretation of social subjectivation

In this article, I defend the consideration of the Phenomenology of Spirit as a model for thinking processes of subjectivation in contemporary society, especially considering the notion of failure of experience and the figures of self-consciousness. For that, I divide the presentation into three parts and a conclusion: First, I critically evaluate the proposal made by Brazilian philosopher Marcos Nobre, in his book Como nasce o novo [How the New Is Born], of taking the Phenomenology as a philosophical model for contemporary Critical Theory. I argue that he fails to present the relation between his proposal for Critical Theory and his analysis of the Introduction to the Phenomenology. Secondly, finding his hypothesis useful, I turn to Honneth’s Struggle for Recognition (taken by Nobre as one of the models for a phenomenological work) and criticize his position concerning the Phenomenology of Spirit, in particular for not recognizing that this work implies a radicalization, and not a weakening, of the notion of intersubjectivity, in relation to Hegel’s earlier writings. I propose the notion of failure of experience, rather than that of struggle for recognition, as a guide for understanding social conflicts, considering it to be a broader concept which also encompasses recognition. Finally, I consider self-consciousness in the Phenomenology as a model for understanding social figures and their problems, concluding that this can be helpful as a tool for interpreting contemporary society, especially Brazilian society in face of the rise of the new far-right.