Hegel and Understanding

One aspect of Hegel that has particularly interested me has been his understanding of the manner in which human understanding is. His views take a more centered approach and contrast with other views such as Kant's view. In Kant, understanding is largely possible due to outside conditions, such as space and time. This is not the case with Hegel. Essentially, Hegel's understanding seems to be that we are the facilitators for understanding. He states that, "We are the universal medium in which such moments are kept apart and exist each on its own" (Hegel 72). Thus, our understanding interprets things in the manner in which we see ourselves. Humans are a collection of various body parts that interpret and act in varying ways. Thus, external things are understood by us within these separate terms and yet can be comprehended as a one due to our perceived unity as one body with many parts. The question arrived in class discussion as to why we strive for singularity, or unity of ourselves, against the outside world? Why when we walk is it so hard for us to understand the role the ground plays in our walking? The reason is within an element of how we see ourselves, as one. The most interesting component to this perceived unity is the fact that we are simply many various parts and yet we see ourselves as just the opposite. The one of the many. This view is then posited on the world around us and applied to our place, and our understanding, within it.