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The Absence of Reflection on Language in Hegel’s Master/Slave Dialectic

The famous passage of „The Master/Slave Dialectic,“ also known as the passage of „Lordship and Bondage“ is part of the section on „Self-Consciousness“ in Hegel’s Phenomenology (Hegel, 111–119). In that passage Hegel masterfully demonstrates that becoming a „self-consciousness“ is a social phenomenon. It requires recognition. It is not a solitary achievement. However, Hegel locates the fight for recognition in a physical fight. Other authors, such as Spitz and Benveniste, have located the fight for recognition in the domain of language, particularly the ability to say no (Spitz) and to use pronouns (Benveniste). I will first summarize Hegel’s passage on the master/slave dialectic. I will then show how Hegel assumes that language has a crucial function in the achievement of real self-recognition but he does not deduce in this passage the function of language as necessary. Next, I will show that Hegel himself locates real self-consciousness in a moral consciousness when it develops a conscience. Such a conscience then needs to accept its radical finitude and needs to ask and give forgiveness. Hegel calls this act of mutual asking and giving forgiveness the necessary requirement to achieve real recognition and enter the life of the Spirit. Asking and giving forgiveness is, however, a linguistic act. Hegel himself thus invites us to see the role of language in the becoming of self-consciousness. I will finish this paper with a presentation of the ideas of the above mentioned authors (Spitz and Benveniste) who explicitly defend a linguistic basis for self-consciousness.