Hegel thought that the only way we can understand ourselves as self-conscious individuals, understand what it means to be the type of individual that we are, is through recognizing ourselves reflected in the gaze of another self-conscious individual. We come to know ourselves when we see ourselves in the mirror of another's desire. What does that mean when the desire is not displayed in person? What kind of recognition do we find in these colored pixels? What understanding is there in the short cryptic phrases left behind, markers for our passing? It's like instantaneous history- all we have left of ancient history are remnants of papyri found in the garbage heap of an ancient city, and yet we live in a world of the present that is composed entirely of mysterious missives and sudden epiphanies.

Hegel thought that the only way we can understand ourselves as self-conscious individuals, understand what it means to be the type of individual that we are, is through recognizing ourselves reflected in the gaze of another self-conscious individual. We come to know ourselves when we see ourselves in the mirror of another's desire. What does that mean when the desire is not displayed in person? What kind of recognition do we find in these colored pixels? What understanding is there in the short cryptic phrases left behind, markers for our passing? It's like instantaneous history- all we have left of ancient history are remnants of papyri found in the garbage heap of an ancient city, and yet we live in a world of the present that is composed entirely of mysterious missives and sudden epiphanies.