Self-consciousness is the recognition of another’s recognition of oneself. Self-consciousness cannot exist in isolation. In order to know the self, one must be able to distinguish self from what not self. It means that every self meets another to distinguish self from.
One wants to be free, independent and universal, but also he needs the other to exist. When he wants to eliminate the other, his life is also at stake because if it is struggle, he may die. He may succeed to kill the other, but then he loses his chance of being recognized by the other. Your consciousness is at risk, the other consciousness is at risk.
In a sense, this is not completely beneficial because you also need the other to establish your self-consciousness, you need the other to define yourself and to exist as a self. Mutually recognition is required, this recognition should be granted mutually by equal parties but in the way that happens as a result of life and death struggle, the parties are no longer equal.
One party grants recognition, the bondsman acknowledges superiority and existence of the lord, but it is not as precious as could be if he were a free, independent self-consciousness. That is frustrating for the lord. We may apply Hegel’s master/slave relationship by examining employer/employee relationship. The employer dominates the employee. The employer has the power to decide whether the employee has a job or not or the employer pays the employee, or not.
The more powerful party is an employer, so employer subdues employee. The employee is dependent for income, for the work, that is why the employee looks like he is the only dependent party (slave), but the employer actually depends on the employee as well because the dependency runs both ways.
That means when an employee does not work, the employer does not make money and get loss. Although the slave is the inferior position, he nevertheless finds himself in a position to find other ways of realizing himself/ realizing his own self-consciousness. If one of the parties is eliminated, it is not to the benefit of the other.
The employer (the master) finds himself in a slave position at the end, the employer also depends on the employee. It works both ways and both parties need each other to be recognized.
