British Journal for the History of Philosophy

Running head: SOCIOAUTOBIOGRAPHY
Socioautobiography
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SOCIOAUTOBIOGRAPHY
The society is made up of many different aspects which affects the livelihood of an
individual. The sociological implications have a severe impact on the cultures and traditions of a
place (MacGregor, 2015). The purpose of this paper is to understand the sociological concepts
that exist in the society. To this extent, a personal reflection essay has been outlined where my
livelihood has been analyzed. The paper has also attempted to draw a similarity between the
events with the teachings of a sociologist who has inspired me to a great extent.
One of the philosophers who has had a significant impact on my life was that of Hegel.
Hegel was a German philosopher was believed in the doctrine of idealism (Necley, 2017). He
was of the opinion that the mind of an individual and the nature of the person are something
which needs to be overcome so as to reach a stage of spiritual harmony. He also advocated the
idea of thesis, synthesis and that of antithesis which stated that each idea in the society has a
corresponding opposing idea (Findlay, 2014). The dialogue between these two would give birth
to a new idea which would be acceptable to both the concerned parties.
While growing up, I had to face several important challenges. I was essential an African
American and hence, belonged to the ‘black’ ethnic community. This was a great disadvantage
to me in my childhood days as I had to live amongst the ‘white’ population who were prejudiced
against because of my race. I drew inspiration from Hegel in this regard, who inspired me to
understand the viewpoints of others. Their colonial background gave me an insight in to their
mental status and this aided me to voice out my protests (Schwarzenbach, 2017).
The issue of norm assumed an influential position in this respect. The social cultural
norms dictated that the ‘black’ ethnic population could not intermingle with the ‘white’ ethnic
population. This was a result of the colonial mindset of the people of the United States of
America which has found a strong foot hold even in the contemporary world order.

2SOCIOAUTOBIOGRAPHY
The issue of ethnicity was strongly associated with the idea of racism and that of norms
of the society. Hegel was of the opinion that freedom in the society is important for the growth
and development of the divinity of the individual (Hegel & Inwood, 2018). He opinionated on
the sovereignty of the individual which was seen to be missing from the contemporary society
where I resided. However, his ideas inspired me to seek the establishment of such a society
where people enjoyed the aspect of freedom and security.
Another incident which affected my childhood was that of class discrimination. My
family was economically poor which meant that I could not afford the various glories of life.
This posed a significant challenge to my upbringing as within school, the economically stronger
children would not form any lasting relationship with me.
My economic status affected my group membership. My poor financial health meant
that I could only form friendships or be in association with those people of the society who
shared the same class as that of me. This division in the society affected me deeply. However,
the words of Hegel inspired me when I realized that the society is idealistic in nature (Stone,
2014). The comprehensive analysis of the mind and nature of the individual was required to live
effectively in the community.
The main teaching of Hegel which influenced me to a considerable extent was that of
civil society. Hegel believed in the formation of a community which would be inclusive in
nature. In other words, he wanted to establish a society where people would be able to live in
harmony and peace. The idea of holding a dialogue with the individuals of the society also
inspired me to have a comprehensive insight in to the cultures of the world. The formation of
sysnthesis from the thesis and the antithesis provide to me that a peaceful means of resolution is

3SOCIOAUTOBIOGRAPHY
always welcomes in the context of the human society. In this regard, it can be seen that the
teachings of Hegel motivated me to live a life of consideration and gratitude.
In conclusion, it can be observed that it is easy to understand the various sociological
implications affecting the lives of an individual when seen through the theoretical lens of the
philosophers of the society. The words of Hegel has allowed me to understand the life incidents
and work accordingly.

4SOCIOAUTOBIOGRAPHY
References:
Findlay, J. N. (2014). Hegel: a re-examination (Vol. 1). Routledge.
Hegel, G. W. F., & Inwood, M. (2018). Hegel: The Phenomenology of Spirit. Oxford University
Press.
MacGregor, D. (2015). The Communist Ideal in Hegel and Marx (RLE Marxism). Routledge.
Necley, G. (2017). Philosophical views on the value of privacy. In Privacy (pp. 3-9). Routledge.
Schwarzenbach, S. A. (2017). Rawls, Hegel, and communitarianism. In John Rawls (pp. 133-
166). Routledge.
Stone, A. (2014). Adorno, Hegel, and dialectic. British Journal for the History of
Philosophy, 22(6), 1118-1141.