The Man “appears” as a being that is always conscious of its death, often accepts it freely and, sometimes, gives it to himself voluntarily. Therefore, the “dialectical” or anthropological philosophy of Hegel is, ultimately, a philosophy of death.—A. Kojève, Introduction ala lecture de Hegel (1947, 537)

By associating it with sacrifice and, thereby, with the primary theme of representation (in art, in festivals, in performances), I have sought to demonstrate that Hegel’s reaction is fundamental human behavior... it is par excellence the expression endlessly repeated by tradition... it was essential for Hegel to gain consciousness of negativity as such, to capture its horror—here the horror of death—by upholding and by looking the work of death right in the face. Hegel, in this way, is less opposed to those who “recoil” than to those who say:“it is nothing.” He seems to distance himself most from those who react with gaiety.—G. Bataille, Hegel, Death and Sacrifice (1990, 24)