Abstract
In the section entitled "Relations of Master and Servant" from The Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), Hegel explains one stage of the development of consciousness. He begins by pointing out that only by acknowledging an "other" is self-consciousness possible: for example a teacher only recognizes himself as a teacher with respect to his students. But if there is an other, then the original self-consciousness feels threatened and asserts its freedom by trying to dominate that other. This struggle results in a master (Herr) who dominates a servant (Knecht) and who forces him to produce material goods. What is the role of the work made by the servant in the development of his self-consciousness? How can it permit to reverse the relationship between the master and the servant?
