The master and the slave
In Phenomenology of the Spirit, German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel has a famous passage, known as the master/slave dialectic, which explains the importance of the relationship between equal, self-identical people when it comes to self-realisation. Between a free and a bound individual, the authentic acknowledgment, which is crucial for the realisation of the self, cannot arise. The acknowledgment between two people must always be mutual and free in order for it to have any value.
In Hegel’s theory of the master/slave relationship, a meaningless, non-evolving relationship between people, characterised by an unequal unilateral acknowledgment is displayed.
By enforcing acknowledgment, the acknowledging person is made unfree, and thus the acknowledgment is worthless. The master seeks acknowledgment from the slave without recognising them in return. Thus, the slave’s acknowledgment of the master is void, and because hereof neither party obtains a growth of their self-awareness.
In other words, it is crucial to the individual’s own development to respect the person from whom s/he seeks acknowledgment and to view them as an equal and unique personality. In the unequal relationship between the master and the slave, the master is independent and self-sufficient, while the slave is a dependent being.
Furthermore, the master has no connection to the objects surrounding her/him and feels independent of the outside world — in a sense he relates to his surroundings through the slave. The slave, on the other hand, is of course dependent and restricted, but work gives a degree of independence, as it defines her/him and provides direction. However, neither the master nor the slave is living an authentic life — both live despairing existences.
Hegel’s focus on the slave’s independence through his ability to navigate in and mould the physical world is captivating. It underlines something that I fid immensely important, namely that detachment from our physical milieu leads to deprivation and to a feeling of being unfree.
The slave knows how to navigate the physical world and knows how to interact with nature and make use of materials, resources, crops, and tools, and is aware of interconnectivity with the physical environment. The master on the other hand is detached, almost entirely, from physical surroundings. S/he doesn’t know how to make use of materials and doesn’t know how to operate and manoeuvre independently. S/he might be so detached so as not to even know how to cook. Hence, s/he is alienated to nature and to the physical environment. Without the slave s/he wouldn’t eat, be able to get around, or shape her/his surroundings.
To an extent, most late-modern people in developed countries are living as masters. They are alienated from nature and detached from knowledge about how to manage by themselves in their physical milieu. They might cook themselves, but the food they buy is partly pre-prepared: cut, cleaned, minced, and pasteurised; everything is made convenient. And when it comes to consumption, they are detached from knowledge about how the many things they buy are made. They know nothing about the materials that are used, how they are grown or constructed, and they know nothing about the conditions of the “slaves” that produce the goods they consume. They don’t know how to repair their things if they break or mend them when they get worn out. They cannot stitch or patch or darn.
When I write “they,” I of course mean we. I too am guilty of most of the above-mentioned points. But, leaving my convenient city life has forced me to become more aware, more conscious, and more attached to my physical environment, and to nature. And it is a gift; a grounding, nourishing gift.
In relation to nature — wild nature that is — not city parks or curated forests, most late-modern “masters” feel completely lost, even scared. A while back I had visitors from Denmark; a really good friend of mine and her daughter who live in Copenhagen stayed with us for two weeks. They were terrified by the sounds of nature that are omnipresent here. The sound of a gecko was more intrusive to them than heavy traffic, and the loudly croaking frogs and cicada choir that takes off every night at sunset felt more threatening to them than howling police sirens. Not to mention the knowledge of the presence of snakes and scorpions, which felt like a constantly lurking fear to them (despite the fact that I have only on a couple of occasions had encounters with these creators, even after living here for years, and that they were, of course, much more scared of me than I of them).
Why do we feel so lost and frightened when exposed to nature? Why have we sacrificed our knowledge about how to get by and get nourished in and by nature; make food, clothes, and medicine out of plants, shape our living spaces in accordance with our natural environment, and live in harmony with wildlife.
On that note, I must agree with Hegel that the slave is actually freer than the master, despite this being an obvious paradox.
Our detachment from our physical environment and nature is, in my perspective, a large part of the reason for our unsustainable habits such as overconsumption, perceived obsolescence, and lack of respect for crafts and skills. We are alienated from our physical world, and we lack insight and skills it takes to shape it (sustainably!) and preserve it.
