Abstract

Hegel's most interesting and controversial claims about nonconceptual knowledge arise in contexts of value. This thesis examines Hegel's views in the Phenomenology of Spirit on the relation between nonconceptual and conceptual knowledge, specifically in connection with ancient ethics and aesthetics. My dissertation demonstrates that Hegel's views about nonconceptual knowledge are the basis for a coherent, richly-interconnected theory of expression, representation, action, moral action, interpretation, and self-understanding. To demonstrate my thesis concretely, the first two chapters focus on nonconceptual, nonverbal forms of thought in connection with historical aesthetic and ethical contexts. The last two chapters return to themes appearing in earlier chapters about the role that language, interpretation, and self-understanding play in altering the nature of ethical actions