Beginning with Property? Hegel and Unfolding Freedom in a South African Academic Context

Academic freedom is one of the most needed of all rights for a university to fulfil its mission to educate and uplift its students and, by extension, the society in which it lives. However, the question of what this freedom is and what it entails constantly unfolds as universities evaluate, critique, and educate society and this is at present under the microscope in the context of the #feesmustfall campaign and other the student protests over social transformation. In the article I critique Hegel’s concept of freedom, often considered one of the cornerstones to the philosophical foundation of Western society’s concept of freedom, which was also employed within a South African context. From this, it is possible to gain a sense that this freedom entails a mutual recognition of the other and a responsibility to restrain one’s own determination (or will-to-power) in order to ensure that the other does the same. Hegel reaches a stage where individuals mutually relinquish certain freedoms (like the freedom to kill or enslave another), and thus they create a space of mutual recognition where each sees the other as an individual self. This concept of freedom allows the university to remain solely on its own in the name of its academic freedom. The state recognizes this freedom as long as this relationship is mutually beneficial. The interference in the university’s right to self-determination is indicative of a much larger issue. Although Hegelian freedom enjoins a respect between individuals within society, it can also be used to separate society; the ‘we’ disintegrates in light of so-called ‘respect’ when one wants to exert their right to autonomy at the expense of others. What I attempted to carve out is a critique of Hegelian freedom and its underpinning of the basic concept of freedom for both the Western and South African societies. By adding four more pillars to the Hegelian three – democracy, equality, reconciliation and diversity – South Africa has already begun to see that the issue could resolve itself with beginning to understand itself through more responsibility, respect, freedom and so forth. Akademiese vryheid is een van die noodsaaklikste van al die regte wat ‘n universiteit nodig het om sy missie te vervul om sy studente op te hef en deur ‘n uitbreiding hiervan die gemeenskap waarin hulle hulle bevind ook op te hef. Die vraag is nou wat hierdie vryheid behels soos wat universiteite evalueer, kritiseer en opvoeding bied aan die samelewing. Dit is tans onder die loep binne die konteks van die #feesmustfall veldtog en ook ander studente-proteste oor sosiale transformasie. In hierdie artikel ondersoek ek die konsep van vryheid soos deur Hegel gekonseptualiseer, aangesien dit dikwels gesien word as een van die hoekstene van die filosofiese fondamente van die Westerse opvatting van vryheid, wat ook binne die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks toepassing vind. Hieruit is dit moontlik om ‘n wederkerige erkenning van die ander kry, en dit behels ‘n verantwoordelikheid om mens se eie wilsdeterminasie te beperk om sodoende seker te maak dat die ander dieselfde sal doen. Hegel bereik ‘n stadium waar individue gelyktydig sekere vryhede afstaan (soos die vryheid om ‘n ander in slawerny te neem of dood te maak) en dus skep hulle ‘n ruimte van wederkerige erkenning en sien mekaar as ‘n individuele self. Hierdie opvatting van vryheid laat die universiteit toe om op sy eie te bly staan in die naam van akademiese vryheid, en die staat laat dit toe solank hierdie Vryheid wedersyds tot voordeel strek. Die inmenging in die universiteite se reg tot self-determinasie is ‘n aanduiding van ‘n veel groter probleem. Hoewel Hegeliaanse vryheid poog om respek af te dwing tussen individue binne die samelewing kan dit ook gebruik word om die samelewing te versplinter sodat die “ons” disintegreer in die lig van sogenaamde “respek” as die een party sy reg tot outonomie wil afdwing tot nadeel van ander. Wat ek probeer uitwys het is ‘n kritiese beskouing van Hegel se konsep van vryheid en die onderliggendheid daarvan aan die basiese konsep van Vryheid vir beide die Suid-Afrikaanse en Westerse samelewings. Deur vier meer pilare toe te voeg tot die Hegeliaanse drie – demokrasie, gelykheid, versoening en diversiteit – het Suid-Afrika reeds begin sien dat begrip kan manifesteer deur verantwoordelikheid, respek, vryheid ensovoorts.